Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO)
A member of the National Fragile X Foundation’s Fragile X Clinical & Research Consortium (FXCRC)
The Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO) is a collaboration between UMass Memorial Medical Center and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. We offer a variety of services for youth and adults who have complex emotional and behavioral challenges in combination with autism or neurodevelopmental disorders. The Fragile X Behavioral Health Clinic (all ages) at CANDO is for persons with a diagnosis of Fragile X Syndrome and behavioral challenges provides:
- Diagnostic and psychopharmacologic consultations.
- Ongoing psychopharmacologic treatment as indicated.
- Interdisciplinary care and collaboration with speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, pediatrics, neuropsychology, genetics, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, and sleep medicine.
Our services are available to families, schools, and agencies, both within the US and internationally, and are billable via insurance or self-pay options.
For more information, call 774-442-2263 or 855-UMASS-MD (855-862-7763).
Meet The Team
Dr. Jean Frazier, MD- Director, Fragile X Behavioral Health Clinic is board certified in Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Frazier graduated from Dartmouth Medical School, did her adult psychiatry residency at Tufts New England Medical Center, completed her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, Brown Medical School and finished a research fellowship in the Child Psychiatry Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health. She holds the Robert M. and Shirley S. Siff Chair in Autism and is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Since 2015, she has been the Executive Director of the UMMS Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, which has a rich history of research, service, and educational efforts aimed at enhancing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is also the founder of the UMMS/UMMHC Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO) and served as the Vice Chair of Psychiatry and Division Director of Child Psychiatry from 2008-2018. Dr. Frazier sees patients of all ages at CANDO and has over 30 years of clinical experience and clinical research experience in the phenomenology, neuroimaging, and treatment of people with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and Fragile X syndrome.
Dr. Isha Jalnapurkar, MD- Assistant Director, Fragile X Behavioral Health Clinic is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School/UMass Memorial Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai, India, completed her general psychiatry residency training from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston and her child and adolescent psychiatry training at UMass. She completed an additional state-funded fellowship in adult neurodevelopmental disabilities and specializes in providing care across the lifespan for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. She is board-certified in general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. She practices at the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School/ University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care and her clinical and research interests include understanding associations of biological and psychosocial factors in social emotional challenges faced by individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Elizabeth Turenne, LICSW, Intake Coordinator Fragile X Behavioral Health Clinic is a licensed independent clinical social worker. She received her masters degree in Clinical Social Work from Boston College. She has worked at the UMMS/UMMHC Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO) since 2015. Her clinical interests include diagnostic evaluation of neurodevelopmental disorders and working with families impacted by this diagnosis.
author
Kristin Bogart
Kristin joined the NFXF team in 2019. She has over 20 years of experience in fundraising and non-profit management, event planning, and board and volunteer development. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in public administration. Kristin loves spending time with her two teenage sons and in the company of friends, and enjoys gardening, running, and hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains.