“We are about the future! By promoting this research, we will change how we speak about brain development and behavioral health, and how we diagnose and treat these conditions in the same manner as other physical diseases."
I formed CHCF in honor of my only son, whom I tragically lost in 2020. He was an incredible athlete and explorer, and we shared a tremendous love for solving complex problems through scientific and critical thinking. I was, and will always be, honored to be his father. My son will remain in my heart every moment for the rest of my existence.
I hope to keep his memory and intrepid spirit alive by establishing this foundation. Because he always called me a fixer, I don't want to let him down by giving in to despair, grief, and regret. Although I know it's too late to change the past for my beloved son, I feel I must do whatever is in my power to improve the future for others.
Mission Statement
Mission Statement
"Conditions that affect the brain will one day be diagnosed, treated, and cured just like any other diseases."
CHCF's goal is to accelerate research in biomarkers for early diagnosis of high-risk conditions that affect brain function and to develop novel targeted curative therapies based on molecular causes of these conditions discovered through epigenetic and genetic research. To provide parents and health care professionals objective tools to support the development of children very early on as infants and toddlers based on objective behavioral assessments.
We are not born with blank slates and have inherent characteristics that shape our personality and identity. While some of us learn to thrive, others struggle to adapt and cope with our environment. For most, this is not due to a mental health condition but rather a lack of the necessary tools to succeed in the world we live in. At CHCF, we believe that every individual is unique. We also believe that to help our children thrive emotionally, we must develop objective diagnostic tools that can:
Identify the optimal environment for each child early in life.
Determine how each child can develop critical skills to navigate inevitable challenges in today's complex global landscape.
Achieving this requires a new approach that leverages genetic and epigenetic research to better understand who we are from an early age, helping each person find a place they can truly call home.
The long-term goals, which are the focus of CHCF, are to promote research to:
Develop educational and outreach materials for stakeholders, including students and healthcare professionals.
Promote the development of objective, unbiased diagnostic, risk biomarkers for early detection of serious brain diseases with psychological and behavioral manifestations using genomic and multi-omic approaches.
Promote research to identify the root cause(s) of learning disabilities, neuro-developmental delays, and psychological disorders.
Advocate for developing curative therapies based on these not yet identified or characterized genetic and epigenetic factors.
CHCF Brain is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization with a unique strategy to educate and promote scientific research to uncover the biological and genetic root causes of serious brain disorders with life-threatening behaviors to diagnose, treat, and cure these conditions effectively. If you share this vision, we would like to invite you to join us. Together, we can do better.
Summarizing the mission, vision, programmatic goals, objectives, and how we plan to achieve our short and long-term objectives.
Strategic Plan for CHCF
The short term and long-term blueprint of the programmatic goals of CHCF explained in Q&A format
Non Profit Board of Directors:
Donald P. Bottaro, PhD
Steve Winitsky, MD
Alex Tracy, PhD
Chris A. Learn, PhD, PMP
Bahar Javadi, MA, MS, LCPC
Roopal Patel, MS, MBA, Doctorate Health Care Management (2026)
Scientific Advisor (Informal):
Daniel Geschwind, MD, PhD
Michael J. Gandal MD, PhD
Kenneth D. Cole, PhD
Jai Pandey, PhD
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