American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities names Dr. Lauren Clark a 2026 Fellow
The UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing’s Shapiro Family Endowed Chair in Developmental Disabilities Studies, Lauren Clark, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD).
Founded in 1876, AAIDD is the oldest professional organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Fellows are selected based on their contributions to the organization and impact on uplifting those with intellectual disabilities through work in research, academia, advocacy, and more. The fellow designation is considered one of the highest honors for those working in the field.
As the inaugural Shapiro Family Endowed Chair in Developmental Disabilities Studies, Dr. Clark’s research focuses on supporting the autonomy of disabled people and improving their health and quality of life. Her work, which involves a team of interdisciplinary colleagues and people with disabilities, has led to the development of a free health-related quality of life measure, HRQOL-IDD, specific to the needs of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
As the mother of a son with an intellectual disability, Dr. Clark has experienced first-hand the challenges those with disabilities can face in the world and within the health care system. She has channeled this lived experience into meaningful curriculum, partnering with UCLA’s disability studies program to launch a specialized course designed to expose students, nursing and otherwise, to different models of disability care and the disability justice movement. Her most recent work builds nursing-specific disability clinical competencies. Along with Dr. Eric Sung in the School of Dentistry, Dr. Clark recently received a UCLA teaching award to collaborate with faculty in both schools to develop a curriculum for interprofessional disability competency.
Dr. Clark, along with 10 other 2026 fellows, will be honored at 150th AAIDD Annual Meeting in June.
