Alan & Lorraine Bressler Clinical & Research Program

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Alan & Lorraine Bressler Clinical & Research Program

One of only a few programs in the country to provide comprehensive psychiatric evaluation of childre

Alan and Lorraine Bressler have always been committed to giving back to the Boston-area community where they have lived for more than half a century and raised three daughters. The Bresslers hope that the The Alan & Lorraine Bressler Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorders will become a national model.

“Before the Bressler Program existed, many parents of children with high-f

unctioning autism were at their wits’ end, diagnostically confused and unable to find programs that offered effective treatment,” says Gagan Joshi, MD, scientific director. “The Bressler Program offers them a ‘home,’ where their child is fully understood and can receive treatment and support well into adulthood.”

“We knew that supporting this renowned group of psychiatrists and psychologists would yield benefits far beyond what anyone could have imagined, and this has already begun to happen,” says Alan Bressler. Since the number of referrals exceeds current clinical capacity, the Bresslers also hope that other families will step forward to support the program so that the team can help more families and conduct further research. “With children and grandchildren ourselves, we’ve come to understand that it’s up to us, families who are affected by autism and co-occurring psychiatric conditions, to support the research and clinical care that will help kids with these disorders lead productive and rewarding lives,” says Lorraine Bressler. “We can’t sit back and wait for others to do the job.”

07/16/2025

We are proud to announce that the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has established the Joseph Biederman, MD Psychiatry Grand Rounds lecture in pediatric psychopharmacology. This endowed lecture honors the memory of Dr. Biederman, the founder of the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Program Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Biederman’s groundbreaking research in the field of psychiatry spanned multiple areas, including autism, ADHD, emotional dysregulation, mood disorders and anxiety disorders. He created the field of pediatric psychopharmacology which ushered in a new paradigm for treating childhood psychiatric illness. As one of the world’s most influential psychiatrists, Dr. Biederman’s body of work spanned 40 years helping countless individuals and training generations of child psychiatrists. The Joseph Biederman, MD Grand Rounds lecture ensures that his legacy of teaching and research continues.

This spring, the lecture was delivered by Gagan Joshi, MD, the Director of the Bressler Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder at MGH. Dr. Joshi presented his research on the psychopathology, prevalence, assessment, treatment, and psychiatric comorbidities associated with autism. With mentorship and collaboration from Dr. Biederman, Dr. Joshi recognized the importance of creating this clinic in response to the rising prevalence and under-recognition of autism in intellectually capable populations. His research examined the clinical correlates of ASD in psychiatrically referred populations and discussed screening and assessment approaches designed to improve identification in these settings. Dr. Joshi highlighted that over two-thirds of youth with ASD experience co-occurring psychopathology, including ADHD, anxiety, mania, and mood disorders. Recognizing these psychiatric conditions is essential for frequently diagnosing co-occurring psychiatric disorders and providing disorder-specific, targeted treatment. While there are currently no recognized treatments for the management of social deficits in ASD, Dr. Joshi’s presentation demonstrated how neuroimaging-informed pharmacotherapy can be leveraged for treatment of a subtype of autism. His research examined glutamate dysregulation in autism and how altered brain glutamate activity may serve as a biomarker for treatment response. In Dr. Joshi’s Namenda study, he found that patients with elevated glutamate responded well to memantine, a glutamate modulator, showing both symptom relief and high tolerability. Thank you, Dr. Joshi, for sharing your research with us during your moving and innovative lecture.

06/20/2025

Mai Uchida, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Director, MGH Child Depression Program
Director of Global Advocacy, MGH Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Dr. Mai Uchida is a distinguished pediatric psychiatrist, an accomplished neuroscience researcher, and a globally recognized advocate for mental health, scientific integrity, and gender equity. As a mother of three, her professional mission to support children and families is deeply informed by personal experience.

Dr. Uchida’s research focuses on identifying clinical and neurobiological biomarkers of unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD in youth. In collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her work has explored structural and functional MRI-based predictors of risk for major depressive disorder and ADHD, as well as machine learning approaches to modeling illness trajectories. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous awards, including the NIH K23 Career Development Award, the Dupont-Warren and Livingston Fellowships, and the Milton Award from Harvard Medical School. She has also received the Elaine Schlosser Lewis Award from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Best Paper Award from the Journal of Attention Disorders, and the Louis V. Gerstner Scholar Award.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Uchida emerged as a trusted scientific communicator in Japan, where she played a crucial role in addressing vaccine hesitancy and made significant contributions to national public health efforts. Her advocacy, including openly discussing her own vaccination experience during pregnancy, helped increase vaccine confidence among pregnant and lactating individuals. For these efforts, she, along with her nonprofit colleagues, received the 2022 Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Award and contributed meaningfully to Japan’s globally recognized vaccination uptake.
In addition to her academic and advocacy work, Dr. Uchida is a bestselling author. Her book Social Justice (Bunshun Shinsho) offers a compelling examination of emotional awareness amid social polarization, addressing topics such as scientific misinformation, racism, sexism, online harassment, and media representation. The book gained national prominence in Japan when it was cited in the public reckoning over sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. In Living Depression, co-authored with Koichi Hamada, former chief economic advisor to the Japanese government, she challenges the stigma surrounding mental illness—particularly among older men—by blending psychiatric insight with lived experience.

Dr. Uchida frequently contributes to international media and public discourse on issues including racism, gender inequality, and emotional development in children. Her essays and commentary have appeared in outlets such as NHK, CBS, The Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her writing—especially on the challenges of navigating professional life as a Japanese woman in American medicine and on the psychological resilience of Olympic athletes—has received widespread acclaim. In recognition of her advocacy, she was honored with the 2023 UJA Advocacy Award by an international organization of Japanese scientific researchers.

05/30/2025

At last year’s American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) conference, Dr. Ghumman presented on "Examining the Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Co-morbid ASD and MDD in Intellectually Intact Youth: A Comparative Study” and "Suicidality and Sleep Disturbance in Youth With ASD and Depression.” In these posters, Dr. Ghumman highlights the need for targeted interventions for youth with autism and major depressive disorder (MDD).

05/07/2025

Leena Phan joined the Lurie Center research team in January 2025 as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she studied biology and anthropology and is currently on the pre-med track. Leena is working with the Bressler team on the SPARK study, which focuses on the genetic basis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She is passionate about contributing to research that influences public policy, healthcare systems, and educational practices that in turn improve therapies and treatment options. With this, she was given the opportunity to join the team at both the Lurie Center for Autism and Bressler Program, where she now works with Dr. Mierau and Dr. Joshi. In the future, Leena hopes to obtain her MD and specialize in pediatrics and/or psychiatry.

04/18/2025

Maria Iorini joined the Bressler team in July 2024 as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She studied Psychology at Brown University where she completed a thesis on “Preschoolers’ Understanding of Functional Relations”. Prior to joining our team, she worked in the Brown Computational and Cognitive Development Lab. She is passionate about mental health advocacy and working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This sparked her interest in joining the Bressler Program, where she now works with Dr. Wozniak and Dr. Uchida. In the future, Maria intends to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

03/31/2025

Meredith O’Connor joined the Bressler Program last year as a Clinical Research Coordinator, working primarily with Dr. Joshi and Dr. Ceranoglu. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech where she earned a degree in Psychology. She became interested in research and specifically with the Bressler Program during her time as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at Virginia Tech. In the future, she plans to apply to graduate school and continue working in the mental health field.

02/24/2025

We are excited to announce that clinicians from the Bressler Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Pediatric Psychopharmacology department will be featured presenters at the 2025 Annual Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Conference.

We invite to join us either in person or virtually, see below for more details.

Join us at AULANI, A Disney Resort & Spa for our Annual Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Conference!
March 14, 2025 to March 16, 2025
15.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
For additional information, please visit- https://lms.mghcme.org/child2025

We invite you to join us Virtually for our Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology 2024 Conference!
March 14, 2025 to March 16, 2025
15.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
For additional information, please visit- https://lms.mghcme.org/VirtualChild2025

11/14/2024

Dr. Gonenc, a longtime collaborator with our program, is a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an affiliated staff member at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, bringing extensive expertise in multimodal neuroimaging and large-scale data harmonization. After earning a PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics, he transitioned into imaging and clinical research, where he has developed advanced methods to assess brain structure, chemistry, and metabolism. His unique blend of technical and analytical skills has deepened our understanding of neurological and psychiatric conditions, enhancing patient profiling, selection criteria, and outcome measurements in clinical trials—including those for memantine hydrochloride in Autism Spectrum Disorder. With nearly two decades of experience, Dr. Gonenc’s work continues to open new doors for understanding and treating complex brain conditions.

10/15/2024

Maribel Galdo
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Administrative Manager
The Alan and Lorraine Bressler Clinical & Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Clinical & Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD
Maribel has worked in the field for over 20 years. This position allows her to combine her business knowledge and clinical skills to help the team provide better quality care. She received her Bachelor of Art in psychology at Boston College and her master’s in social work from Simmons College.

09/23/2024

Andee Medina joined the Bressler Program in July as a co-op student. She is currently a fourth year at Northeastern University studying Psychology. Previously, she has worked as a Program Assistant and Research Assistant at Boston Medical Center. She gained interest in the Bressler Program through her coursework as she has been learning about various psychological conditions. Andee works with both clinicians and research assistants to support the patient experience and research duties. Additionally, she manages the clinical intake process. She plans to apply to graduate school for Psychology after she graduates.

07/15/2024

We are proud to announce that the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has established the Joseph Biederman, MD Psychiatry Grand Rounds lecture in pediatric psychopharmacology. This endowed lecture honors the memory of Dr. Biederman, the founder of the Alan and Lorraine Bressler Program Clinical and Research Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Biederman’s groundbreaking research in the field of psychiatry spanned multiple areas, including autism, ADHD, emotional dysregulation, mood disorders and anxiety disorders. He created the field of pediatric psychopharmacology which ushered in a new paradigm for treating childhood psychiatric illness. As one of the world’s most influential psychiatrists, Dr. Biederman’s body of work spanned 40 years helping countless individuals and training generations of child psychiatrists. The Joseph Biederman, MD Grand Rounds lecture ensures that his legacy of teaching and research continues.

This spring, the inaugural lecture was delivered by Janet Wozniak, MD, the incumbent of the Joseph Biederman, MD Chair in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and new Director of the Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinical and Research Program at MGH. Dr. Wozniak presented her research on the characteristics, longitudinal course and treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder. Dr. Wozniak’s 1995 paper on childhood mania is one of the ten most cited papers ever to be published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Widely regarded as an international expert on the topic of pediatric bipolar disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Dr. Wozniak is the author of dozens of scientific articles, and she cares for hundreds of children and adolescents with these conditions in her clinical practice. Thank you, Dr. Wozniak, for sharing your expertise with us during your insightful and captivating lecture.

06/03/2024

Help us in celebrating Brittney Jurgen, a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC), whom holds an MSN from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and an MS in psychology from Tulane University. With over three years of dedicated service at the Bressler Program, she specializes in treating children and young adults with ADHD, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders. Additionally, she actively contributes to the Pediatric OCD and Tic Disorder Program at MGH. Now entering her fourth year with the program, Brittney remains enthusiastic about expanding her expertise with young adults facing ADHD challenges and eagerly anticipates participating in forthcoming research endeavors within the Bressler Program.

Address

Boston, MA

Telephone

+16177267899

Website

http://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/services/autism_home.aspx

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