Late Dr. Ashok Mysore was an experienced Professor with a demonstrated history of working in mental health care, particularly in autism. He developed clinical care models for autism and was actively involved in research to uncover its underpinnings. He held a Doctor of Medicine (MD) – Psychological Medicine from NIMHANS, Bangalore, India. His teams developed tools in India for early identification of autism in children below 18 months, a measure for Adolescent Depression, and the Indian Panic Anxiety Questionnaire.

Dr. Ashok was the head of CARE-ADD, a center focused on autism and developmental disorders at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore. This Centre conducted foundational research in genomics, brain studies, and child behaviours.

The work helped uncover some of the complex relationships among genetics, brain circuitry, and behaviour, subsequently leading to a better understanding of Autism. While long-term research was at the core of the Centre, in parallel, the Centre also provided screening, therapy, education, and parent programmes to address immediate issues.