January 12, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researcher Rajesh Kana, Ph.D., has been awarded the Chesapeake Civitan McNulty Distinguished Scientist Award. The Scientist Award is presented annually in honor of the McNulty family.

Kana is an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Psychology and is principal investigator in the Autism Brain Imaging Research Laboratory, which is housed in the Civitan International Research Center. The award honors Kana for his research in neuroscience, cognition, neuroimaging and autism.

His current research involves the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain function in people with autism. The research could lead to future interventions and treatments, he said. Kana also has written and co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals in the field of neuroscience.

Kana earned his doctorate in 2003 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He completed his post-doctoral training in 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University.