April 1, 2010
Amy Wetherby, Ph.D.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida State University and internationally recognized leader in the study of autism-related disorders has been recognized as a Distinguished Research Professor – one of the university’s highest faculty honors.
Amy Wetherby, director of the Autism Institute and a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the College of Medicine, was recognized for her significant contributions to the study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Wetherby currently is principal investigator for more than $12 million in federally funded grants dedicated to better understanding and treatment of ASD.
She becomes the second faculty member since the medical school’s founding in 2000 to be recognized with the Distinguished Research Professor award. In 2009, the same recognition was given to Suzanne Johnson, formerly chair of the medical school’s Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences.
Wetherby received the honor, which includes a $10,000 award, during Thursday’s 2010 Faculty Awards Ceremony at the Augustus Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center.
The title of Distinguished Research Professor is the third highest faculty award at Florida State, following the Robert O. Lawton and Daisy Parker Flory awards. A select panel of current Distinguished Research Professors vets the nominations, submitted by faculty peers, for presentation to the university president. Joining Wetherby in receiving the recognition for 2010 are: William C. Burnett, Oceanography; Bruce R. Locke, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering; and Per Arne Rikvold, Physics.