Psychiatry professor Sarah Palmer, MD, receives the AACAP Pilot Research Award for Early Career Faculty and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows

Sarah Palmer, MD, received The AACAP Pilot Research Award for Early Career Faculty and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows Award to conduct a pilot study to better understand how Early Intervention services engage with families.  The award is sponsored by The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Diseases, Dr. Palmer’s clinical interest in developmental interventions and family mental health guided her research interest.

“The increasing rates of intellectual disability and autism in the United States place great emphasis on the role of Early Intervention. Despite it being a federally funded program, children who meet criteria for services are still not likely to be enrolled, and even less so if they are part of a historically marginalized group.” Dr. Palmer said.

Dr. Palmer will work with primary mentors Dr. Elizabeth Peacock-Chambers and Dr. Nancy Byatt at Lifeline for Families Center at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, and will partner with UMass Pediatrics and with Pernet Family Health Services, an Early Intervention Provider located in Worcester, MA.

Dr. Peacock-Chambers’ research on how mothers with substance use disorder engage in Early Intervention services indicates that attachment focused interventions increase engagement with families who experience stigma. Building on Dr. Peacock-Chambers’ findings, Dr. Palmer’s pilot will begin to describe the current role of attachment in Early Intervention.

“In order to improve access to Early Intervention, we need to speak directly to families and to providers and learn from their experiences,” she said.  “Our goal is to identify themes in Early Intervention, attachment and attrition that might inform an effective intervention that would allow families to engage more in Early Intervention services.”

“The AACAP Pilot Research Award for Early Career Faculty and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows offers $15,000 for child and adolescent psychiatry fellows and early career faculty who are beginning a career in child and adolescent psychiatry research. Recipients  can submit a poster presentation on their research for AACAP’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, October 20-25, 2025. The award also includes travel support to attend AACAP’s Annual Meeting for up to five days.”*

*from AACAP website