Baranek receives alumni award from University of Illinois at Chicago
November 12, 2020

Associate Dean and Chair Grace Baranek was named the 2020 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award presented by the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Applied Health Sciences. The award was made official during a Nov. 12 virtual event hosted by UIC.

“Her scholarly work has had important implications for practice, therefore improving the lives of children with autism and ASD,” said Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, head of UIC’s Department of Occupational Therapy.

Baranek is the director of the Innovations in Neurodevelopmental Sensory Processing Research (insp!re) lab, and a renowned expert on the sensory features of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Baranek earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in occupational therapy in 1981 from what was then known as the University of Illinois at the Medical Center.

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