Research

The Civitan International Research Center (CIRC) is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to improving lives through brain research and treatment of developmental disabilities. Over 100 Civitan Scientists and staff are dedicated to basic and translational research - moving basic scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic and community. Our Civitan Scientists represent 18 departments and 7 schools on the UAB campus. More than half of the Civitan Scientists are clinical investigators working with consumers and families in the Civitan-Sparks clinics, Children's Hospital, and other clinical settings at UAB and in the community.

The Civitan International Research Center Building is home to investigators from the Departments of Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry. The CIRC houses and supports the new Center for Glial Biology in Medicine, the Mental Retardation Research Center, the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, the Rare Disease Clinical Research Center and the Epilepsy Center.

The CIRC has adopted Autism Spectrum Disorders as a major research theme and toward that mission has engaged in a multitude of activities, funded a number of projects, and has recruited new faculty with research interests in autism.

The CIRC has established a shared resource for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dedicated to research on developmental disabilities. A 3 Tesla head only fMRI is located in newly renovated space on the first floor of the Civitan building and is providing opportunities for collaborations for our Civitan Scientists.

Through partnerships with consumers, professional organizations and governmental agencies, the CIRC seeks to shape policy decisions related to research and to increase the opportunities for inclusion, independence and productivity for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.