Illinois Medicine

NIH and other organizations. The BRAIN Center also uses the advanced imaging capabilities of the University of Illinois Medical Center, which include both functional MRI, the kind of brain function imaging used in the study in which Charlie is participating; and diffusion tensor imaging, which measures disruptions in water molecules in the brain's white matter fiber tracts, the network that transmits and receives neurological signals. The disrup- tions indicate that the white matter fiber tracts have been impaired, showing researchers where and how a disorder is interfering with the brain's circuitry. Over the past few years, Pavuluri and her colleagues at the BRAIN Center have achieved a number of research breakthroughs, including developing the first systematic set of criteria for clinicians to follow in prescribing medication for pediatric mental illness; the first set of studies showing the differences in brain activity in children with ADHD and bi- polar disorder; and the first functional MRI study of medication's effects on brain function in mentally ill children, compared with the function of a healthy control group, to name but a few. Pavuluri's research uses imaging technology to examine how emo- tions affect cognitive processes in children with bipolar disorders and the effects of medication on these children's brain function. Comparing kids with mental illness to control groups of healthy children like Charlie, During IJR's centennial celebration (from left) Alvin Poussaint presents the Arnold L. Gilberg, MD, PhD, Lecture; guests participate in one of several breakout sessions; keynote speaker Bryan Samuels; and Carl Bell, MD, presents Anand Kumar, MD, and Dean Joseph A. Flaherty, MD, with awards of service. PHOTOS: ROBERTA DUPUIS-DEVLIN INSTITUTE CARRIES RICH HISTORY FORWARD INTO SECOND CENTURY E STABLISHED IN 1909, the Institute for Juvenile Research, which houses the BRAIN Center at Illinois Medicine, was the first child mental health center in the nation and one of the first to train psychiatrists in child and adolescent specialties. The institute's rich history includes ties to Jane Addams' Hull House, the first juvenile court in the nation and even the Dick and Jane readers, developed to help researchers study the connection between reading difficulties and delinquency. In its early years, the institute was one of the first organizations to integrate the fields of medicine, psychiatry, psychology and social work into the study of child development, a multidisciplinary approach that continues to this day. It was at the IJR that professionals first recognized the importance of the larger community to the health and well-being of children. Originally created to investigate the causes of juvenile delinquency, the institute expanded the scope of its research to produce groundbreaking works in theo- retical psychiatry and to make significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of child and adolescent mental health. The institute similarly broad- ened its clinical scope to become a leading provider of clinical services for countless mental health issues. A part of the Illinois state government since 1917, the institute was made a part of the University of Illinois at Chicago's Department of Psychiatry in 1990. Today, it is a vital part of the Chicago community and a major research and training center for children's mental health. Directed by Carl C. Bell '67, MD, a national and international leader in community psychiatry, the institute is comprised of more than 50 faculty members and more than 100 support staff, trainees and associates, who are engaged in a broad spectrum of research, demon- stration and training. The institute's programs address issues like HIV risk, access to effective school services, the epidemiology of drug abuse and services for families in the child welfare system. The institute also offers child psychiatry clinical services and training programs in child psychiatry, psychology and social work. "The Institute for Juvenile Re- search has been an essential partner with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in research and in development and monitoring of our programs," says Erwin McEwen, director, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. "The IJR's work has been critical in the progress the Illinois child welfare system has made in improving the safety and well-being of children and their families." In October 2010, the IJR celebrat- ed its 100th anniversary with a daylong event on the UIC campus. Bryan Samuels, commissioner of the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, delivered the keynote address, focusing on the role of behavioral health in achieving permanency in foster care. Arnold L. Gilberg, MD, PhD, a training and supervising analyst and past president of the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute, who trained with former IJR director Franz Alexander, MD, presented a brief his- tory of the institute. The centennial luncheon included a lecture endowed by and named after Gilberg, which was presented by Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, professor of psy- chiatry and faculty associate dean for student affairs, Harvard Medical School, and media center director at the Judge Baker Children's Center, Boston. Poussaint, a consultant for "The Cosby Show," discussed the essential role of family and community involvement in raising healthy, well-adjusted children. The afternoon included an over- view of the institute's neuroscientific and psychosocial research and its applica- tion in the clinical services provided at the Colbeth Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic. Bell closed the event with his reflections on the institute's evolution over the past century and his vision for its future. "For 100 years, Illinois has relied on the Institute for Juvenile Research to tell [the state] what it should do regard- ing the children of Illinois, specifically around the issues of delinquency and mental health," Bell observed. "The in- stitute has a long history of outstanding public service and good research, and we're building on its proud legacy, using this 100th anniversary to reenergize the institute and sharpen the vision of what it's going to be in the future." 20 | WINT ER 2 011

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