Fred R. Volkmar (B.S. 1972) earned an M.A. in psychology and an M.D. from Stanford University. He has been associated with Yale University since 1980, when he came to the Yale Child Study Center as a fellow in child psychiatry. He joined the faculty in 1982 as an assistant professor of child psychiatry, pediatrics, and psychology, and currently holds the position of Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology. He is recognized as the leading expert in the field of autism and related disorders, such as Asperger's syndrome. Volkmar also serves as a consulting and chief psychiatrist at Benhaven School in New Haven, CT, a school for children with autism, and the Yale Psychiatric Institute. He is a member of the faculty of the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis. Volkmar delivered the Distinguished Alumni Award lecture, Understanding Autism-Perspectives from Research and Clinical Work.