The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) is one of a select group of sites selected to launch SPARK, an online research initiative designed to become the largest autism study ever undertaken in the United States.

Sponsored by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the groundbreaking initiative will collect information and DNA for genetic analysis from 50,000 individuals with autism — and their families — to advance the understanding of the causes of this condition and to hasten the discovery of supports and treatments. The VKC joins 21 leading national research institutions chosen by SFARI to assist with recruitment. The SPARK effort is being led locally by Zachary Warren, PhD, associate Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Special Education and executive director of the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD).