Lisa Yang Gives Cambridge £26 Million for Autism Centre as Research Shifts to Health Risks
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Lisa Yang Gives Cambridge £26 Million for Autism Centre as Research Shifts to Health Risks
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Summary
£26 million from US philanthropist Lisa Yang will fund a new K Lisa Yang Centre for Autism Research at Cambridge and a clinical autism centre in the future Cambridge children’s hospital.
Simon Baron-Cohen said the programme will be shaped by autistic people’s priorities, with a stronger focus on overlooked physical health, earlier diagnosis and practical ways to improve quality of life.
Data from 141,672 people gathered by his team suggest autistic women face a 71% higher risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious cardiac events, even after adjusting for known risk factors.
Baron-Cohen also said he regrets branding autism an “extreme male brain,” arguing the label fueled false claims that autistic people lack empathy and no longer helps public understanding.
The donation lands as autism diagnoses keep rising in Britain, with UK cases up nearly 800% from 1998 to 2018 and child referrals for possible autism jumping almost 50% in 2024-25.