Community Organization Friends
While we operate completely independently as an academic research group, we collaborate informally with a variety of service and advocacy organizations to extend our research and meet our mission. These hard-working and dedicated folks provide information, support, funding, and policy advocacy on behalf of people living with tics and compulsivity, their families and communities. We work with them to produce webinars, provide content for summits and conferences, disseminate research findings, amplify communications messages, and share new ideas and strategies.
See below how we work together to move the needle forward.
Tics and Tourette Across the Globe (TTAG) is an international organization committed to supporting individuals with Tics and Tourette Syndrome through global collaboration. By connecting national associations, researchers, clinicians, and healthcare providers, TTAG acts as a central platform for sharing resources, advancing research, and strengthening support systems - all with the goal of reducing stigma and improving care worldwide. Watch the webinar we did together!
The Tourette Association of America (TAA)
We’ve collaborated for years with the TAA, a national organization that raises awareness, advances research, and provides ongoing support to patients and families impacted by Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders. We serve on their science board, provide expertise at conferences and on webinars, share social media messages. In 2019, we co-produced a community research summit, Treating Tourette Together. In 2023 and 2024, the TAA gave Young Investigator Awards to our researchers to support groundbreaking Tourette studies.
Tourette Support & Education helps individuals with Tourette Syndrome and associated conditions, and their families, and is based in Franklin, Wisconsin. They offer support groups, information and resources, and scholarships for summer camps. We present at their support group and connect them with resources. They help spread the word about our Tourette and OCD studies via social media and more!
Tourettes Action is the premiere advocacy and service organization for Tourettes in the UK. Their activities are informed by research-based evidence and the needs and perspectives of communities and our missions are very aligned. We’ve collaborated for the past year or so, sharing resources and information, and, most recently, our online study Tic Clips was featured in their newsletter and is listed on their website. We are grateful to work with such an established and dedicated organization, connecting the continents.
University of Minnesota Community Engagement
Thanks and kudos as well to all of our community-engaged research colleagues, including CEARCH, the Office for Public Engagement, and the Community Engagement and Education Hub! We’re fortunate to have such extensive expert support.
For nearly 40 years, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) has been helping people find treatments that improve their quality of life, raising awareness and understanding of OCD, working to end stigma about the disorder, educating mental health professionals, advocating for policies that help people with OCD and related disorders, and fund groundbreaking research. We presented at their Research Roundtable webinars, livestreams, and annual conference, and they connect us to local affiliates and amplify our studies on social media and in newsletters.