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Geraldine Dawson, Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy  

Office Location: 2608 Erwin Road, Suite 300, Duke University Med Center, Durham, NC 27705
Office Phone: +1 919 684 3165
Duke Box: 3527 DUMC
Email Address: geraldine.dawson@duke.edu
Web Page: http://autismcenter.duke.edu/

Areas of Expertise

    Education:
    Ph.D., University of Washington, 1979

    Recent Publications   (More Publications)

    1. Griffin, JW; Webb, SJ; Keehn, B; Dawson, G; McPartland, JC. "Autistic Individuals Do Not Alter Visual Processing Strategy During Encoding Versus Recognition of Faces: A Hidden Markov Modeling Approach.." J Autism Dev Disord (March, 2024). [doi]  [abs]
    2. Posner, J; Dawson, G. "Addressing the Gap in Research Training in Child Psychiatry and Neurodevelopment.." J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 63.2 (February, 2024): 105-108. [doi]  [abs]
    3. Brandsen, S; Chandrasekhar, T; Franz, L; Grapel, J; Dawson, G; Carlson, D. "Prevalence of bias against neurodivergence-related terms in artificial intelligence language models.." Autism Res 17.2 (February, 2024): 234-248. [doi]  [abs]
    4. Gu, Z; Dawson, G; Engelhard, M. "Sex differences in the age of childhood autism diagnosis and the impact of co-occurring conditions.." Autism Res 16.12 (December, 2023): 2391-2402. [doi]  [abs]
    5. Herkert, D; Sullivan, C; Zhu, Y; Dawson, G. "Prevalence and nature of prior developmental and medical concerns in toddlers who screen positive for autism in primary care.." Autism 27.8 (November, 2023): 2361-2371. [doi]  [abs]

    Highlight:

    Geraldine Dawson is the William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, where she also is a Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology & Neuroscience.  Dawson also is the Founding Director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, an NIH Autism Center of Excellence, which is an interdisciplinary research program and clinic, aimed to improve the lives of those diagnosed with autism through research, education, clinical services, and policy. Dawson received a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and completed a clinical internship at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.

    Dawson's work focuses on improving methods for early detection and intervention for autism, understanding brain function in autism, and validation of autism EEG biomarkers. She co-developed the Early Start Denver Model, an empirically-validated early autism intervention that is used worldwide. She collaborates with colleagues in the departments of computer science and engineering, pediatrics, and biostatistics to develop novel digital health approaches to autism screening and outcome monitoring. 

    Dawson previously served as Director of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, President of the International Society for Autism Research, and was appointed by the US Secretary of Health as a member of the NIH Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) which develops the federal strategic plan for autism research, services, and policy. Dawson is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was Founding Director of the University of Washington (UW) Autism Center and the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. Dawson's awards include the American Psychological Association Distinguished Career Award (Div53); Association for Psychological Science Lifetime Achievement Award; Clarivate Top 1% Cited Researcher Across All Scientific Fields; among others. Dawson is a Fellow of the International Society for Autism Research, the American Psychological Society, and the American Psychological Association. 

    Geraldine Dawson