FASD Center for Innovation Pilot Grant Program

FASD Center for Innovation Pilot Grant Program (max $25,000)

The purpose of this pilot grant program is to engage researchers across UR and inspire cutting-edge research to improve the quality of life of people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD affects an estimated 1.1 to 5% of the general population, with rates even higher in special populations and systems of care. Yet, most people with FASD go undiagnosed and few, if any, FASD-informed services are available in the community.

People with FASD and their families have important questions for researchers. They need answers to inform decision-making about their health and quality of life. Some examples are:

How do we increase FASD awareness and services in education, health, legal, disability, child welfare, and other sectors?
Is aging accelerated in people with FASD? What is the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on development and the course of chronic health conditions?
What are the effects of long-term exposure to chronic stress, higher neurological workload, and chronic health conditions in those with prenatal exposures?
Are there biomarkers that might support diagnosis when alcohol-exposure history is unavailable or that might assist in predicting treatment response?
What medications or treatments might help with symptom management?
How do we reduce the pervasive stigma surrounding prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD?
What strategies help implementation of interventions in clinical and community settings?
How to best engage individuals with FASD and their families in research and policy?

Do you have relevant expertise to help answer these or other important questions? Researchers with skills in other disabilities, mental health, other developmental exposures, trauma and adversity, chronic health conditions, aging, and many other areas may benefit from the opportunity to consider prenatal alcohol exposure in their research! We hope you consider applying for this pilot program, even if you are new to the area of prenatal alcohol exposure or FASD.

Application Information

Applications are currently closed. The next funding cycle will be announced in Spring 2026. Please reach out to Christie Petrenko at christie_petrenko@urmc.rochester.edu with any questions.

Principle Investigator: Nathaniel Beyer, MD

Children and youth with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) face a range of developmental and emotional strengths and challenges related to prenatal alcohol exposure. Their caregivers—including adoptive, kinship, foster, and biological parents—navigate complex educational, medical, and social systems while managing high levels of stress, isolation, and stigma. Caregiver well-being is critical to child outcomes, yet few interventions target caregiver coping, resilience, and self-efficacy. This pilot project will proof-of-concept test Parent Cafés, a structured, peer-led group intervention designed to support caregivers through reflection, shared experience, and strength-building. Originally developed for foster parents, Parent Cafés have demonstrated acceptability and promise in other caregiver populations but have not been evaluated with families of children with FASD.

We will partner with caregivers of children with FASD to conduct five virtual Cafés with 15 caregivers to assess feasibility—recruitment, engagement, and program implementation—and acceptability through surveys and focus groups. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will explore preliminary effects of Cafés on caregiver adaptation, coping, social support, and self-efficacy. The objectives of this one-year pilot are to determine whether Parent Cafés can be feasibly implemented for caregivers of children with FASD, gather estimates of impact, and generate preliminary data to support future, larger-scale trials. By strengthening caregiver well-being, this project aims to improve outcomes for both caregivers and children with FASD, laying the foundation for a growing research program to develop, implement, and test effective, evidence-based family support interventions in the area of FASD.

Investigators: Madalina Tivarus, PhD & Tanzil Arefin, PhD (Neuroscience)

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) occurs when a fetus is exposed to alcohol through maternal consumption during pregnancy. This can lead to a range of lifelong physical, cognitive, and behavioral impairments collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD encompasses a continuum of effects, from mild learning difficulties to severe developmental disabilities, with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) representing the most severe form. Even mild exposure can cause impulsivity, attention problems, and aggression, and these are linked to specific changes to the brain. This study aims to identify specific brain features that signal both risk and resilience in teenagers who were exposed to alcohol before birth. It will also examine how different levels of alcohol exposure impact brain development using a controlled study in mice. To do this, we will use advanced brain imaging techniques to look at the structure of white matter—the part of the brain that helps different areas communicate. By combining human and animal research, this study hopes to improve our understanding of how prenatal alcohol exposure shapes brain development and may lead to better ways to help those affected.