iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

📣 My lab is looking to hire a full-time RA to coordinate a new NIMH-funded clinical trial! The RA will assist in trial coordination, community advisory board meetings, and collecting EEG, clinical, and behavioral data. Link to position: www.chla.org/careers/jobs...

chla.org

Health Science & Behavioral Research Associate I

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Had a blast being live on air at KTLA News yesterday to raise awareness for Autism Acceptance Month! Appreciated this platform to highlight such a rich and fantastic community that is important to me personally and professionally, and a chance to spotlight great work we're up to at CHLA 🎉

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

📣 My lab is looking to hire a postdoc! Applicants with interests in longitudinal data analysis, clinical trials, youth mental health, EEG, and/or mentored research training are welcome to apply! Funding available for up to 2 years. Link to position: careers-chla.icims.com/jobs/55607/f...

careers-chla.icims.com

Fellow-Post Doc-Research / Dr. Schwartzman / TREND Lab / Full-time / Days in Los Angeles, California | Careers at Los Angeles, California

**This position is Hybrid: 3 days on-site, 2 days remote, with flexibility to vary.** Schedule: Day Shift Purpose Statement/Position Summary: The Training and Research to Empower NeuroDiversity (T...

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Honored to receive funding from the Eagles Autism Foundation! Our project with @santimoralesphd.bsky.social will expand the inclusivity of neuroscience by examining EEG measures of anxiety & depression risk in autistic youth with intellectual disability. www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/eagles-...

philadelphiaeagles.com

Eagles Autism Foundation contributes $10.8 million to fund 54 research & community projects

Through fundraising efforts associated with the Eagles Autism Foundation, 223 research projects and community grants have now been funded worldwide since 2018.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

🎉 Shoutout to @mengchuanlai.bsky.social and his team for landing an awesome new grant titled, "Recalibrating Autism Measures for Sex and Gender Equity" It's a stellar project on advancing the rigor and inclusivity of autism assessments and I'm excited to partner with them as Co-I. Congrats!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

New preprint out! "Feasibility of measuring social and nonsocial reward responsivity in autistic adolescents: An EEG study" Link: osf.io/preprints/ps... First EEG paper from my K23 examining potential neural markers of depression risk in autistic adolescents! More to come!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Excited to join San Francisco NPR KQED live call-in radio show forum this coming Monday 12/15 from 10-11am PST! I’ll be joining colleagues to discuss suicide prevention for the autistic community! Grateful for this platform to highlight the needs of this community. Announcement: lnkd.in/g8hbZzqd

kqed.org

KQED Radio - Tune in Live Radio | KQED

Stay connected and informed by tuning into KQED's radio for engaging news, captivating stories, and thought-provoking conversations.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

😮‍💨 The NOA for Year 4 of my K23 award came in today from the NIMH! Two more years to go and I'm feeling grateful to continue our work!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

My lab and I will be hosting a booth this weekend at the @autismspeaks.org Empower Walk & 5K run at UCLA to connect with local families and share about our research studies! We're recruiting autistic youth with and without intellectual disability for various studies, so we hope to see you there!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

In honor of Suicide Prevention month, colleagues and I partnered with @afspnational.bsky.social to create an Autism and Suicide webpage: afsp.org/autism-and-s... Proud of this team and hopeful this webpage can be a helpful resource for autistic people and their families!

afsp.org

Autism and Suicide

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. This means it relates to how a person’s brain develops and functions, influencing communication, social interaction, behavior, and sensory processing from ear...

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

🆘 Measurement help needed I'm looking for a parent/self-report measure to quantify behavioral crisis events (e.g., suicide, aggression, etc.) in youth. Any suggestions?

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

🆘 'Tis the season of prepping RPPR docs, Loan Repayment renewal application, and multiple IRB submissions....

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

🆘 Autistic adolescents & young adults needed for a new study! We aim to study the experiences of autistic & gender diverse young people through online surveys and interviews. Study flyer below and link to register! Link: udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Please RT to spread the word!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

📣 Autistic adult volunteers needed for a brief online anonymous research study! This dissertation project is led by a new doctoral student in our lab this year, Lauren Bacchus, and she's hoping to recruit participants! Flyer below with info and reposts appreciated!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

🎉👏My NIH Loan Repayment award was renewed today! Breathing a sigh of relief. Really grateful for this program and its incredible help in covering my loans! Highly recommend applying for this award and I’m happy to chat with anyone who has questions.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Sharing fun updates from my K23 study on mental health in autistic teens! Recently, we started one-year follow-up visits & created this infographic for our families. We're still recruiting teens (14-17 y.o.) with confirmed or suspected autism in Los Angeles! Call/text 323-207-5910 if interested!

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Reposted by Jessica Schwartzman

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 09/06/2025

🚨BREAKING: 300+ NIH employees call out the harm of censorship & politicized science in scathing email to Bhattacharya, demanding an end to political interference, a lift on funding freezes, & rehiring of fired staff whose work saves lives. This is historic - insiders are blowing the whistle. 🧵(1/5)

Front-page-style graphic titled “BREAKING NEWS” with photos of RFK Jr. and Dr. Bhattacharya in front of a government hearing chamber. Text reads: “NIH Scientists Sound the Alarm as Health Research Faces Historic Threat” and “NIH Employees Send Trump Cronies Scathing Wake-Up Call.”

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

🎉 New paper! The protocol for my K23 study on reward responsivity, depression, & broader mental health in autistic teens is published! An ongoing 5-yr project with some talented collaborators at USC, CHLA, and Vanderbilt. Stay tuned for more to come from this project! Link to paper: rdcu.be/epC81

rdcu.be

Study protocol for a multimethod investigation of the development of social and nonsocial reward responsivity and depression in autistic adolescents: Reward and Depression in Autism (RDA) | BMC Psycho...

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Question for CBT providers and/or researchers: Do you have a brief, free, and publicly available measure of clinicians' knowledge of CBT? I'm looking for a quick way to gauge a clinician's knowledge of standard CBT for some of our ongoing work. Thank you!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

My lab received a new grant from the Southern California Center for Latino Health! 🎉 "Community-guided depression & anxiety treatment for Latino youth with intellectual & developmental disabilities" With our community partners, we will adapt a treatment for Latino youth with IDD. More to come!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Headed to Boston in November 2025 for the International Academy for Suicide Research! Excited for our symposium, "Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Autism: Contributors to Risk and Use of Crisis Services" & presenting with @pittreaact.bsky.social & others! suicide-research.org/iasr-afsp-in...

suicide-research.org

2023 IASR/AFSP INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON SUICIDE RESEARCH -

OCTOBER 15-18, 2023 • BARCELONA, SPAIN We hope you will make plans to join us for the 2023 International Summit […]

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

I’m sharing some of our work with autistic teens at #INSAR20205 today from 12:30-1:30pm! 418.047 - Disclosure of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Self-Harm in Autistic Adolescents from Adolescent and Parent Perspectives: A Mixed-Methods Investigation Swing by and say hello! 👋

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Looking forward to presenting tomorrow as a panelist at the INSAR 2025 Community Conference! “Taking Care of Each Other – Creating Systems of Care” tomorrow from 12-4:30pm at the Seattle Convention Center! Open to all! Link to event: ihdd.org/2025/03/24/i...

ihdd.org

INSAR 2025 Community Conference | UW IHDD

The International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) will be hosting a free community conference on April 30, 2025...

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Looking forward to attending and presenting at #INSAR2025 in Seattle this week! Happy to be with fellow autism researchers amidst an incredibly challenging time in science and autism research in the U.S.

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Reposted by Jessica Schwartzman

Kellyann May Navarré 🐼 🤟🏻 @kellyannnavarre.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Join our #SRS25 symposium tmrw 2 PM EST: "Leveraging Qualitative Methods to Advance Suicide Prevention in Under-Researched Communities" + featuring some work I'm honored to collaborate on! @suicideresearchsym.bsky.social @kathrynfox.bsky.social @drjessicaphd.bsky.social @kirstyclarkphd.bsky.social

THURSDAY, APRIL 24
Concurrent Symposium Sessions
Thu 2 PM - 3:30 PM

Leveraging Qualitative Methodologies to Advance Suicide Prevention Efforts in Under-Researched Communities
Key Words
interventions
suicide prevention, qualitative research, diversity, minority

Kellyann Navarre, B.A., M.A. Chair University of Toronto, Advisory Committee
Jessica Schwartzman, Ph.D. Presenter
Children's Hospital Los Angeles and University of Southern California
Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Disclosure Experiences of Autistic Adolescents and Parents: A Qualitative Study
Kailyn Phillips, Others Presenter
Vanderbilt University
Examining Identity-Related Experiences of SGM Youth at Risk for Suicide in the Southeastern U.S.
Juno Pinder, B.S., M.A. Presenter
University of Denver
Adolescent Feedback and Perspectives on a Self-Guided Digital Safety Planning
Intervention
Megan McDaniel, B.A. Presenter University of Wisconsin - Madison
Thematic Relationships of Proximal Social Connection and Mental State with Suicidal ideation: An Ecological Study
Spencer Chen, B.A. Presenter
Simon Fraser University
Unpacking 'A Life Worth Living' and What Helps People Choose Life During Suicidal Crises

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Autistic people are not a disease. They never have been. Autistic people have fundamentally shaped our world...an incredibly net positive community. To condemn the existence of any autistic person is unacceptable. Autism is an inherent part of our culture and history, and it always will be.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

At the Gatlinburg Conference all week in San Diego! ☀️ I'm excited to connect with colleagues, attend my husband's panels, and support several of my lab members in presenting their research!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

It's autism acceptance month! Autistic people have fundamentally improved my life both personally and professionally in countless ways. I'm so grateful to work with, have friends, and connect with family in this community!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

What does this mean? Autistic people across age groups constitute a high-priority group for suicide prevention! Appropriate assessments & evaluation of system-level programs that effectively address the problem of preventable death by suicide in this community are essential.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Limitations: Pooled sampling across different groups complicate the generalizability and implications of this work. Sample enriched for STB and mental health needs. Not representative of all autistic people and their families, among other limitations (see paper).

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Our results: (6) The youngest age of suicide attempt was 7 years in this sample. (7) The average ages of first/initial, most lethal, and most recent suicide attempts in youth (n = 24) and adults (n = 42) were 16.6, 19.2, and 20.8 years old, respectively.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Our results: (4) Sex was NOT a significant risk factor for suicidal ideation, behavior, or self-injury. (5) Increases in lifetime suicidal ideation were observed across older age-groups, with those 18+ reporting more severe and longer-lasting ideation than in youth.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Our results: (1) In their lifetime, most participants (87.8%) reported suicidal ideation & self-injury (56.3%). (2) Nearly 1 in 3 people (31.0%) reported a suicide attempt (2.9 attempts on average; range = 1–26) (3) Overdosing was the most common method of suicide attempt.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Our sample: 139 youth and 106 adults 46.1% female sex Men age = 24.8 years old, Range = 7–70 *The study samples were enriched with autistic people experiencing depression and suicidality; interpret the findings with this perspective.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

What we did: We examined STB in 245 autistic youth and adults without ID, considering sex- and age-based effects, in a pooled multinational sample from the US, Canada, & Australia. We studied STB using an interview, which integrates individual & clinician perspectives.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

What we know: Autistic people are at significant risk for suicidal thoughts & behaviors (STBs). Most research on STB is survey-based and from one location. Other assessments (e.g., interviews) & multinational datasets can advance knowledge of suicide risk in autistic people.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

🚨New paper out! "Elevated Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Autistic Youth and Adults: A Multinational Study" in the journal Autism in Adulthood Link below to the paper and a brief 🧵of findings! Link to paper: www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

liebertpub.com

Elevated Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Autistic Youth and Adults: A Multinational Study | Autism in Adulthood

Background: Autistic people are at significant risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). We examined STB and NSSI in different age-groups, considering sex- an...

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

🌟Recruiting for study! We aim to study the experiences of autistic & gender diverse teens! We hope to recruit 50 teens to take an online survey, with some participants invited to interview. Study flyer below! Please RT to spread the word! #Autism #Neurodiversity #MentalHealth

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

He's too humble to say anything & not on social media, BUT I'm so excited that my husband started at USC/CHLA today! He's moving his research program on employment in neurodivergent people to CHLA & we couldn't be luckier to have him! Stay tuned for more good things from Ben Schwartzman 🎉

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

PISSED The NIMH EMHI study section that was supposed to review grants today was "rescheduled" My treatment grant was submitted in October 2024 & took MONTHS to prepare... How can we gripe about the mental health crisis and then SYSTEMATICALLY CUT funding efforts focused on fixing this very issue!

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

👏 The link to apply to this position has been fixed! We are accepting applications for the next few weeks. Please RT to spread the word!

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Reposted by Jessica Schwartzman

Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

🎉My lab is hiring 1-2 Research Assistants! Lab website & position posting below! Lab website: www.chla.org/research/lab... Position: jobs.chla.org/careers-home... People interested in neurodiversity, EEG, & mental health more broadly, please consider applying!

chla.org

Training and Research to Empower NeuroDiversity (TREND) Laboratory

The TREND Laboratory studies risk and protective factors for mental health outcomes in youth with autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

chla.org

Training and Research to Empower NeuroDiversity (TREND) Laboratory

The TREND Laboratory studies risk and protective factors for mental health outcomes in youth with autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

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Jessica Schwartzman @drjessicaphd.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

In this paper, we describe a theoretical extension of the model for autistic youth. We then use a blended case example to inform case conceptualization using the model to understand how low self-esteem may develop in an autistic youth and act to maintain anxiety and depression.

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