The Promise of Discovery Episode 5:

Laurie Cutting: Understanding how brain mechanisms interact to predict academic outcomes

Cutting is among only 33 Vanderbilt researchers to have received an NIH Merit Award, and one of only 5 women. In this NIH research, she is measuring academic achievement and changes in brain structure and function. The ultimate goal is to develop brain-based causal models of academic achievement to effectively individualize instruction in a way that promotes academic success and prevents academic struggles.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Laurie Cutting, Ph.D., Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Special Education; Professor of Psychology, Radiology, and Pediatrics; Associate Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Director, IDDRC Translational Neuroimaging Core C; Faculty Director, VKC Reading Clinic.

Interviewer: Sissy Peters, Program Director, VKC Reading Clinic and ECHO Reading

Understanding how brain mechanisms interact to predict academic outcomes

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) facilitates discoveries and best practices to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. More than 200 faculty affiliated with Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are engaged in multidisciplinary research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination. The VKC’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) works to improve assessment and treatment services for children with autism while advancing knowledge and training.