Co-Founder of the NFXF honored with one of the most prestigious awards for pediatricians in the United States
Randi Jenssen Hagerman, co-founder of the National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF) and medical director of the UC Davis MIND Institute, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Endowed Chair in Fragile X Research and Treatment, has received the prestigious C. Anderson Aldrich Award in Child Development for her outstanding contributions in the field of child development from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the professional organization for pediatricians in the United States.
The award recognizes pediatricians and non-pediatricians for their respective contributions to the field of developmental and behavioral pediatrics. It was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics national conference in San Diego on Oct. 12.
“The NFXF is proud to join in celebrating Randi’s many achievements recognized through this award by the AAP,” said Tony Felenda, CEO of the NFXF. “The Foundation and the broader Fragile X community is forever grateful for the many scientific breakthroughs and accomplishments Randi has contributed to the Fragile X field over the years. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, Randi – in countless ways you have made life infinitely better for thousands of families living with Fragile X.”
In addition to co-founding the NFXF, Hagerman is an internationally recognized clinician/scientist, director of the clinical trials program and founder of the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center at the MIND Institute. In 2001, with her husband Paul J. Hagerman, UC Davis Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, she discovered Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS).
Hagerman has worked to establish Fragile X clinical and research programs throughout the world, most recently at a Fragile X hotspot in Ricuarte, Colombia. She currently is carrying out multiple targeted treatment trials in Fragile X syndrome and in autism.
Hagerman has written over 300 peer-reviewed articles and written or edited numerous book chapters or books on neurodevelopmental disorders including: A 3rd Edition of Fragile X Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research (2002) and Treatment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Targeting Neurobiological Mechanisms (2014) with Robert Hendren of UC San Francisco.
It was because Hagerman recognized the dire need for families to have a place to turn to for Fragile X support and educational services that she co-founded the NFXF. Over the years, the NFXF’s mission grew to include Fragile X awareness, advocacy and research. Now in its 30th year of service, Hagerman continues to play an active role at the NFXF by speaking at the Foundation’s International Conference and regional conferences, serving as a member of its Scientific and Clinical Advisory Committee and acting as one of the Foundation’s most trusted advisors.