.png){kind=logo}
Zahava Ambarchi
Zahava Ambarchi is Clinical Trials Manager and a PhD candidate at CAN Research. She has a broad range of experience in all stages of academic and pharmaceutical trials, across neurodevelopmental disorders, neuroscience and mental health, psych-oncology and other medical fields. Her research focuses on the relationship between social cognition and social interaction in young autistic children, who are participating in trials involving both medical and social learning therapies.
Biography
Zahava manages a number of the research projects in CAN Research to ensure they are conducted to the highest quality and reach the people who are interested in and could benefit most from them.
Her PhD, due for completion in late 2022, uses eye-tracking technology and social interaction scenarios to look at the different patterns of attention in autistic and typically developing children, and how they relate to social and general functioning more broadly.
Passionate about neurodevelopmental research and research in general, Zahava is driven to contribute to the projects which seek to make a real difference to the neurodevelopmental community and the people it serves.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her 3 young children, contributing to the school community, playing piano, and taking nature walks.
Research interests
Research interests include:
- Autism and neurodevelopmental disorders
- Neuroscience and mental health
- Clinical trials
- Research translation and implementation science
- AI and digital device interventions
Publication highlights
Griffin, Z. A., Boulton, K. A., Thapa, R., DeMayo, M. M., Ambarchi, Z., Thomas, E., ... & Guastella, A. J. (2022). Atypical sensory processing features in children with autism, and their relationships with maladaptive behaviors and caregiver strain. Autism Research.
DeMayo, M. M., Pokorski, I., Song, Y. J., Thapa, R., Patel, S., Ambarchi, Z., ... & Guastella, A. J. (2022). The feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging in a non-selective comprehensive clinical trial in pediatric autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(3), 1211-1222.
Thapa, R., Pokorski, I., Ambarchi, Z., Thomas, E., Demayo, M., Boulton, K., ... & Guastella, A. J. (2021). Heart rate variability in children with autism spectrum disorder and associations with medication and symptom severity. Autism Research, 14(1), 75-85.
Colagiuri, B., Sharpe, L., Ambarchi, Z., Glozier, N., Bartlett, D., Costa, D. S., & Scott, A. (2021). Open-label placebo for insomnia (OPIN): Study protocol for a cohort multiple randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 11(2), e044045.
DeMayo, M. M., Harris, A. D., Song, Y. J. C., Pokorski, I., Thapa, R., Patel, S., Ambarchi, Z., Thomas, E.E., Hickie, I.b., Guastella, A. J. Age‐related parietal GABA alterations in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Research, 14(5), 859-872.