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Director’s Note from Dr. Mark Harniss, Interim Director
Dear IHDD community,
As we start a new year, I want to thank everyone for the support you’ve offered me as I take on the role of interim director, following in the very able footsteps of Sunny Juul and Michael Guralnick. Having worked at the IHDD for almost 24 years, I thought I knew a lot about the depth and breadth of the research, training, clinical, and community engagement conducted within the Institute, but I am learning more every day. I hope you will feel comfortable reaching out to share information about your programs and ways I can support you in achieving your goals. The Institute is a unique entity within the university. It is complex and difficult to comprehend holistically. One of my goals this year is to better communicate our purpose, activities, and outcomes to both internal and external partners. In this challenging political and budgetary climate, it is more critical than ever that our partners understand, value, and support the entirety of the Institute’s work.
The past year has been one of change and uncertainty. It seems likely that the next few years will bring more of the same. When circumstances require changes at the Institute, I will do my best to make decisions guided by the core principles, values, and purposes that have shaped the Institute over its nearly 60 years of existence. Specifically, the Institute is a place where we work to build a world where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live healthy lives as full citizens, integrated and included in their homes and communities. We do this work with an emphasis on community engagement, interdisciplinary training and professional development, exemplary clinical care, and state-of-the-art research addressing biomedical, behavioral, and policy challenges. In the year to come, we may continue to see threats to our traditional funding models, and we may have to rethink how we accomplish our goals, but if we continue to communicate the importance of the Institute and the strength and integrity of our work, I’m certain we will persist and come out the other side stronger.
I look forward to working with you all as we navigate whatever 2026 may bring.
Sincerely,
Mark Harniss
Director’s Note from Dr. Mark Harniss, Interim Director
Dear IHDD community,
As we start a new year, I want to thank everyone for the support you’ve offered me as I take on the role of interim director, following in the very able footsteps of Sunny Juul and Michael Guralnick. Having worked at the IHDD for almost 24 years, I thought I knew a lot about the depth and breadth of the research, training, clinical, and community engagement conducted within the Institute, but I am learning more every day. I hope you will feel comfortable reaching out to share information about your programs and ways I can support you in achieving your goals. The Institute is a unique entity within the university. It is complex and difficult to comprehend holistically. One of my goals this year is to better communicate our purpose, activities, and outcomes to both internal and external partners. In this challenging political and budgetary climate, it is more critical than ever that our partners understand, value, and support the entirety of the Institute’s work.
The past year has been one of change and uncertainty. It seems likely that the next few years will bring more of the same. When circumstances require changes at the Institute, I will do my best to make decisions guided by the core principles, values, and purposes that have shaped the Institute over its nearly 60 years of existence. Specifically, the Institute is a place where we work to build a world where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live healthy lives as full citizens, integrated and included in their homes and communities. We do this work with an emphasis on community engagement, interdisciplinary training and professional development, exemplary clinical care, and state-of-the-art research addressing biomedical, behavioral, and policy challenges. In the year to come, we may continue to see threats to our traditional funding models, and we may have to rethink how we accomplish our goals, but if we continue to communicate the importance of the Institute and the strength and integrity of our work, I’m certain we will persist and come out the other side stronger.
I look forward to working with you all as we navigate whatever 2026 may bring.
Sincerely,
Mark Harniss
