Richard Oliver

Title: Director of the Division of Medical Genetics; professor of child health

Background: Miles' clinical interests are in the areas of autism, genetic syndrome diagnosis and management, presymptomatic diagnosis of adult onset disorders, prenatal screening and diagnosis and the provision of genetic services to rural areas. She directs the Missouri Autism Clinic, the Huntingtons Presymptomatic Diagnostic Clinic, the Southern Missouri Regional Genetics Program and the Prenatal Screening and Counseling Clinics. Current autism investigations include the separation of essential from complex autism, the delineation of differences between males and females, including magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of brain laterality differences and effects of prenatal thimerosal. She has more than 100 publications and is a reviewer for five journals. The autism research program is synchronized with a busy clinical service, providing medical diagnosis and management for children and adults with autism. MU received an $8.5 million gift to establish the Thompson Family Center for the Study of Autism and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Miles will take the first Thompson Center endowed chair for autism study.

Education: PhD, genetics, Indiana University, 1970, MD, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1975

Speaking Topic: Diagnosis, types, genetics and treatment of autism