Renowned Down syndrome researcher Alberto Costa received honors during Cleveland Down Syndrome Day Monday, Oct. 12, from the Up Side of Downs and the City Council of Cleveland.
The Up Side of Downs, a Northeast Ohio support, education and advocacy organization, recognized Costa, professor of pediatrics, for his advocacy work in the Down syndrome community. The City Council of Cleveland additionally honored Costa for his significant achievements in Down syndrome research.
Costa has devoted his life to research on Down syndrome since he learned that his newborn daughter, Tyche, now 19, had the condition. Since 2006, he has published several pioneering studies exploring the impact of existing medications on cognition, memory and spatial understanding. In 2011, the New York Times magazine published a lengthy profile on Costa and his work.
Costa’s ongoing, noteworthy research in Down syndrome is made possible through significant grants to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine from the Alana Foundation, a philanthropy dedicated to children’s issues.