Lisa Prock, MD, MPH is the co-Principal Investigator of SPARK at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). Dr. Prock is the Clinical Director of the Translational Neuroscience Center and the Associate Medical Director of the Division of Developmental Medicine at BCH.
What is SPARK?
SPARK is an online research partnership with the mission of speeding up research and advancing understanding of autism. Individuals of all ages diagnosed with autism as well as their family members are invited to join SPARK! By building a community of tens of thousands of individuals with autism and their biological family members, SPARK will be the largest autism research project to date.
Want to learn more? Informational videos and frequently asked questions can be found on our Boston Children’s Hospital SPARK website.
Why should I join SPARK?
By joining SPARK, you’re helping accelerate research to find both causes and treatments for autism. You will also have access to updates on the latest autism research through the Simons Foundation. There is no cost to participate and once registration is complete, families are sent gift cards valued up to $50.
How do I join SPARK?
Registration for SPARK takes about 20-30 minutes, and is done entirely online! Log on and click “JOIN SPARK”. You’ll be asked to create an account where you’re able to consent to share family and medical history information. Genetic information is also collected through a saliva kit that is sent directly to your home. Saliva samples are collected from the person diagnosed with autism as well as their biological parents, if available. If you have questions along the way, reach out to our team at Boston Children’s Hospital by emailing SPARK@childrens.harvard.edu or by calling (617) 355-8300.
Together we can improve lives by helping to speed up autism research!
