Jennifer Elder, Ph.D., R.N., has been named a recipient of the Spring 2007 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Distinguished Mentor award, recognizing excellence in undergraduate mentoring. Elder, an associate professor and chair in the department of health care environments and systems, was one of six awardees at UF and will receive $10,000 over two years.

Elder teaches mental health nursing and research at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has spent the last 25 years studying autism and related child neuropsychiatric disorders. With an interdisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians, she has developed and tested a variety of interventions for children with autism.

Dr. Elder has employed and mentored 16 undergraduate students in her research projects. In addition, she has provided research experiences for five undergraduate research scholars and 44 honors students. Dr. Elder's students frequently co-author and present with her at local, state, and national research conferences. Four students have presented internationally.