ian exchange linking people and ideas to advance autism research
TRANSCRIPT
IAN Exchange
The IAN Exchange is an online Community of Practice for Autism Researchers that will:
•Enable the exchange/convergence of community knowledge and ideas
•Promote collaboration in the autism research community
But what’s a Community of Practice (CoP)?
A network made up of individuals who share:
• Set of concerns • Common mandate• Sense of purpose
IAN Exchange
But more than just a community, CoPs, like Guilds:
• Span borders of organizational and geographic boundaries intentionally
• Complement existing structures • Promote collaboration,
information exchange, and the development of best practices
• Self-governed and managed
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A Very Brief History of CoPs
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• The first known ‘CoPs’ (Guilds) were developed in India 2000 – 500 B.C.
• Term coined in 1991
• The first known (by me) ONLINE CoP was developed in Baltimore in 1990
Known as the Genome Database Project…
• It organized and amassed
information about the subject at hand
• It was maintained by the researchers themselves – they were the ‘curators’ of the information
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And…it organized the peopleand brought them together in new collaborations in a brand new way
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In the 21st Century, Online CoPs exist in most professions
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The Best:
Organize people, organizations, and groups.
The Best:
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Allow the professionals do it by themselves (with a little help from the staff)!
The Best:
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Provide mechanisms for groups and individuals to manage their
knowledge assets
A variety of disciplines…
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PsychiatryGenetics
NeurobiologyEducation
Anthropology Physical Therapy
PsychologyPediatrics
Occupational TherapyEpidemiologyPublic Health
PsychopharmacologySociology
Speech and Language
Etc.
A variety of institutions…
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UniversitiesClinics
SchoolsHospitals
Non-profits/NGOsGovernmental agencies from local to national
Etc.
We publish in scores of journals…
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American Journal of Medical GeneticsCurrent Opinion in Psychiatry
Journal of Neuroscience ResearchJournal of Abnormal Child Psychology
Journal of Autism and Developmental DisordersArchives of General Psychiatry
Clinical EndocrinologyCNS Spectrums
PediatricsPediatric Clinics of North America
Biological PsychiatryAmerican Journal of Mental Retardation
Pediatric NursingJournal of Child Language
Epilepsia
Etc.
Do you want to expand your horizons, explore new territory, learn from the experiences of others, and
become part of an international collaboration?
IAN Exchange
The IAN Exchange will provide secure online meeting rooms where existing groups can discuss their projects and share and
organize their documents and other digital assets
IAN Exchange
CentersNetworks
CommitteesProfessional Associations
Boards of DirectorsResearch Projects Multi-center studies
Departments
The IAN Exchange will provide Special Interest Areas (Cafes) where ad hoc groups can discuss and share assets on topics of
interest.
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ImmunologyMaternal depression
Cross-cultural attitudesSpecial diets
FMRP deficiencyEducational interventions
Grant writersResearch on adults with Asperger’s
Autism and femalesPhenotypes
Journal ClubsIAN Research Data Users
IAN Research Subject Recruitment Assistance Users
IAN Community AuthorsIAN Exchange Leaders Group
Etc.
The IAN Exchange will foster a self-organizing, community-rated, searchable library containing all manner of ‘assets.’
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ProjectsFindingsImagesFilms
DiscussionsPodcasts
DocumentsPowerPoint Slides
IdeasPeopleGroups
LecturesOnline Learning Modules
Etc.
The IAN Exchange will build trust with the broader autism community by allowing them to be observers of selected groups
and assets.
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How will the IAN Exchange help?
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• Enable life-long learning• Broaden the circle for informal learning (learning from experiences)• Facilitate important day-to-day collaborative activities• Allow you to participate in a variety of collaborative activities (from
your lab to international consortia) with one USER NAME and PASSWORD
• Foster interaction between new/more junior and senior/more experienced
• Move knowledge assets fluidly from group to group • Tie your work to the other internet assets.
But better than that, the IAN Exchange will help you:
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• Adapt to pace of change in creation and dissemination of knowledge
• Create a stronger synchrony of efforts• Create a culture of shared responsibility• Engage the public in the research agenda• Address the ethical, legal, and social issues involved in autism
research• Foster the notion that data derived from the people should serve
the public good
(Source: Derived from IOM Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine)
How can you help?
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• Start your own or facilitate a special interest group • Open your own meeting rooms• Engage other researchers in the project!