Child Mind Institute Announces Opening of The Geoffrey and Sarah Gund Learning and Diagnostic Center

New York, NY – The Child Mind Institute is proud to announce the opening of the Geoffrey and Sarah Gund Learning and Diagnostic Center. This pioneering new center will set a new standard for addressing learning challenges and accelerate the development and translation of scientific discoveries into evidence-based clinical treatments. The innovative hub — operating across the Child Mind Institute’s Midtown Manhattan, Harlem, and San Mateo locations — is made possible by a transformative $5 million gift from esteemed educator and philanthropist Geoffrey Gund. Mr. Gund made the gift to honor his late wife Sarah Gund, a longtime champion of youth development and education as well as a gifted learning specialist.

The Geoffrey and Sarah Gund Learning and Diagnostic Center reimagines the Child Mind Institute’s existing Learning and Development Center, which already provides over 1,000 life-changing neuropsychological evaluations, consultations, and treatments annually. The new center will reach even more children by expanding training programs, advancing and translating research into practical resources for families, and embracing digital solutions to increase clinical capacity. By integrating clinical innovation and groundbreaking research, the Gund Center will pave the way for earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments.

“The Geoffrey and Sarah Gund Learning and Diagnostic Center marks a bold step forward in addressing the growing need for accessible, high-quality care for children facing learning challenges,” said Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute.  “This visionary gift from Mr. Gund empowers us to accelerate scientific advancements and deliver transformative solutions for families.”

The Center comprises five core focus areas:

• Dyslexia Remediation and Research: A pioneering hub dedicated to advancing the neurobiological understanding of dyslexia and the science of reading, with the goal of promoting earlier diagnoses and developing more effective interventions.
• Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD) Remediation and Research: A forward-thinking initiative focused on enhancing the scientific understanding of NVLD to drive research, expand knowledge, and improve interventions.
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program Expansion: Increased training opportunities for pediatric neuropsychologists across the Child Mind Institute’s Midtown clinical program and Healthy Brain Network in Harlem, providing families with greater access to free and reduced-cost evaluations while fostering the next generation of expert clinicians.
• Parent and Teacher Resources: Child and parental group programs, educator professional development on the science of reading, and a repository of resources translating existing and cutting-edge research into accessible information for families and professionals supporting children with learning disorders.
• Tools Enhanced by Artificial Intelligence: A coordinated, innovative effort to transform neuropsychological assessment and intervention by developing digital tools that improve efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility.

“In recent years, interdisciplinary research has produced crucial insights into the brain and cognitive foundations of reading disorders,” said Kenneth R. Pugh, PhD, director of research at Haskins Laboratories and a member of the Child Mind Institute’s Scientific Research Council. “New research is exploring the efficacy of brain-informed approaches to reading remediation, and with the creation of the Gund Center, the Child Mind Institute will continue to lead this effort and make important contributions to this emerging field.”

Matthew Cruger, PhD, clinical director of the Child Mind Institute will serve as the director of the new center. The Gund Center is home to a multidisciplinary team of expert clinicians, researchers, and educators committed to making life-changing support accessible and effective for children everywhere.

About the Child Mind Institute

We are the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health providing gold-standard, evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing open science initiatives and tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments.

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