The landscape of public health has changed dramatically in the last year. Some of the challenges, such as vaccine hesitation and emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases, have been part of the story for autism epidemiology for many years.  This lecture will share the history of autism epidemiology and how public health challenges we face today have already shaped the field.

Dr. M. Daniele Fallin is the James W. Curran Dean of Public Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. With more than 250 scientific publications that have been cited more than 30,000 times, Fallin’s globally-recognized research focuses on applying genetic epidemiology methods to studies of neuropsychiatric disorders including autism, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder and to developing applications and methods for genetic and epigenetic epidemiology, as applied to mental health and development. She has also worked to promote the integration of mental health into the field of public health.

Fallin has led multiple CDC- and NIH-funded projects regarding how environments, behaviors, genetic variation, and epigenetic variation contribute to risk for psychiatric disease, particularly autism. She currently serves on the Administrative Core of the national Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD study), examining brain development from birth to age 10, with specific emphasis on how pre and perinatal environments influence brain development.

Prior to joining Rollins in 2022, Fallin served as chair of the Department of Mental Health, and as the Sylvia and Harold Halpert Professor and Bloomberg Centennial Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she held joint appointments in the Bloomberg School’s Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry. While at the Bloomberg School, Fallin directed the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities and previously served as director of the genetic epidemiology area within epidemiology until 2013.

Fallin was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. She completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida–Gainesville and earned a PhD in genetic epidemiology from Case Western Reserve University.

The School of Public Health recognizes the outstanding achievements of its alumni annually at our alumni awards celebration. Alumni are honored at various stages of their public health careers.

Gaylord Anderson Leadership Award: Joseph Su, MPH ’95 (Public Health Nutrition)

Alumni Award of Merit: Maria Medina, MPH ’20 (Public Health Practice)

Alumni Innovator Award: Joann O’Leary, MPH ’79, MPH ’79 (Maternal and Child Health, Public Health)

Emerging Leader Award: Carol Nelson, MPH ’18 (Public Health Practice)

Outstanding Mentor Award: Lindsay Williams, MPH ’10 (Epidemiology)

Learn more about the 2025 award winners.

University Avenue Parking Ramp

An adjacent 500-car ramp is connected by tunnel to the McNamara Alumni Center. Parking is $3.00 per hour with a daily maximum of $13.00. If the ramp is in event mode there will instead be a daily rate of $10.00, and no hourly rate. Once inside the parking ramp, take the East elevator to tunnel B or street level. The Alumni Center is the copper building adjacent to the ramp.

• McNamara Alumni Center parking map

Directions to University Avenue Ramp, adjacent to Alumni Center

Ramp address: 1926 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

From the north, heading south on 35W

1. Take Exit #18, 4th St-University Ave exit
2. Cross 4th Street SE; turn left on University Ave
3. Stay in the right lane, drive 9 blocks to the University Ave Parking Ramp — located on the right side of the street

From the south, heading north on 35W

1. Take Exit #18, 4th St-University Ave exit
2. Turn right on University Ave
3. Stay in the right lane, drive 9 blocks to the University Ave Parking Ramp — located on the right side of the street

From the east or west on I-94

1. Take Exit #235B, University of Minnesota/Huron Boulevard
2. Follow Huron Boulevard one block and turn left onto Fulton St (1st stop light)
3. Drive 3 blocks and turn right onto Oak St
4. Follow Oak St past the Alumni Center (on the left) and cross over University Ave.
5. Oak St will curve to the left and turn into 4th Street
6. Turn left at the first available street (18th Ave, 17th Ave or 16th Ave)
7. Drive 1 block and turn left onto University Ave
8. Immediately get into the right lane and turn right into the University Ave Parking Ramp

Other ramps if needed:

• Oak Street Ramp: 401 Oak St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455
• Washington Ave Ramp: 501 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Metro Transit- Green Line: 

The Green line stops a short block from the McNamara Alumni Center at the East Bank Station. It is on Washington Avenue across from the Graduate Minneapolis hotel. For specific route and schedule information visit www.metrotransit.org