Kruti Acharya named a 2024 fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Kruti Acharya, DHD associate professor and physician in the Developmental Disabilities Family Clinic, is one of seven experts named 2024 fellows of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

A board-certified developmental and behavioral pediatrician, she is the director of LEND (the Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and other related Disabilities program). The interdisciplinary graduate-level training program develops leaders to care and advocate for individuals with disability, with a focus on autism. The program is funded by the Maternal Child Health Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Acharya uses a lifespan perspective to care for individuals with developmental disabilities from childhood to adulthood. She is particularly interested in supporting adolescents and young adults who have developmental disabilities as they transition to adult systems of care.

Her research focuses on the role of childhood, family and community adversity in health disparities experienced by individuals with disabilities, and the ethics of genetic testing for disability in various contexts.

Acharya earned an MD from Boston University and completed a residency at University of Chicago Hospitals.

AAIDD promotes universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through research, policy and practice. The new fellows will be honored at its annual meeting June 10-12 in Louisville, Kentucky.