About the Center for Autism Research

Senior Leadership

Robert Schultz, PhD

Scientific Director

Robert Schultz, PhD

Bob Schultz, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Autism Research (CAR), a multi-faceted research program at CHOP working to understand the causes of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to develop better treatments.

David Mandell, ScD

Associate Director

David Mandell, ScD

David Mandell is CAR's Associated Director and also directs Penn's Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research. His work combines epidemiology and health services research to learn the best ways to organize, finance and deliver services to children with psychiatric and developmental disabilities.

Susan Levy, MD, MPH

Medical Director

Susan Levy, MD, MPH

Susan E. Levy, MD, MPH is CAR's medical director and an attending developmental pediatrician at CHOP. She is also a Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Levy's research focuses on the etiology of autism, improving early detection and intervention and supporting shared decision-making.

Judith Miller, PhD

Clinical Training Director

Judith Miller, PhD

Judi Miller, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and the Clinical Training Director for CAR. She is also Autism Director for CHOP’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (LEND) program, ensuring the next generation of master clinicians are prepared to deliver informed and compassionate care.

Tiffany Ryan-D'urso, MS, MS

Administrative Director

Tiffany Ryan-D'urso, MS, MS

Tiffany is CAR's Administrative Director, responsible for the financial, administrative, strategic planning, human resource, and organizational processes and infrastructure that support CAR’s research mission.

Keith Bartley, MS

Principal Investigator

Keith Bartley, MS

Keith Bartley co-leads CAR's Technology and Innovation program, where he uses advanced perceptual computing technologies to understand autism and behavior, particularly with social communication.

Amanda Bennett, MD, MPH

Developmental Pediatrician

Amanda Bennett, MD, MPH

Amanda Bennett, MD, MPH, is a Developmental Pediatrician at CHOP and is site director for the Autism Treatment Network at CHOP, funded by Autism Speaks. Dr. Bennett's research focuses on novel treatments for ASD through medication trials.

Lisa Blaskey, PhD

Pediatric Neuropsychologist

Lisa Blaskey, PhD

Lisa Blaskey, PhD is a co-investigator and clinician at CAR including studies exploring electrophysiological underpinnings of language impairment in autism spectrum disorders and risk factors and precursors to ASD.

John Herrington, PhD

Faculty Researcher

John Herrington, PhD

John Herrington, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the Perelman School of Medicine. His work concentrates on social and emotional information processes among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a particular emphasis on the co-occurrence of anxiety disorders in ASD.

Emily Kuschner, PhD

Faculty Researcher

Emily Kuschner, PhD

Emily S. Kuschner, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and scientist at CAR and in CHOP's Lurie Family Foundations MEG Center. Her programs of research involve treating food selectivity in individuals with ASD and developing clinical support protocols to help children of all ages, cognitive and language levels participate in MEG and MRI research.

Juhi Pandey, PhD

Faculty Researcher

Juhi Pandey, PhD

Dr. Pandey is a pediatric neuropsychologist and scientist at the Center for Autism Research as well as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Julia Parish-Morris, PhD

Faculty Researcher

Julia Parish-Morris, PhD

Julia Parish-Morris is a Research Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania and a Principle Investigator at the Center for Autism Research. Her research interests include language development in autism spectrum disorder.

Birkan Tunç, PhD

Faculty Researcher

Birkan Tunç, PhD

Birkan Tunç, Ph.D., is a computational scientist CAR and a Research Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at University of Pennsylvania. His primary area of research is the application of machine learning and statistical data analysis in various domains such as psychopathology, neuroimaging, connectomics, and complex network analysis.

Kate Wallis, MD, MPH

Developmental Pediatrician

Kate Wallis, MD, MPH

Kate Wallis, MD, MPH, is an attending physician in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)’s Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, an Instructor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, and an active member of the CAR research team.

Benjamin Yerys, PhD

Faculty Researcher

Benjamin Yerys, PhD

Benjamin E. Yerys, Ph.D., is a child psychologist in the Center for Autism Research (CAR) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Yerys leads CAR’s research on the brain basis and treatment of attention and executive function.

Lindsey DeMarco, BA

Recruitment Coordinator

Lindsey DeMarco, BA

Lindsey DeMarco is the Recruitment Coordinator at CAR. She works connect families with research opportunities that are personailzed to their interests and needs, and works to educated the broader community about the opportunity to advance science by participating in clinical research.

Susannah Horner, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Susannah Horner, LCSW

Susannah Horner, LCSW is the Clinic Social Worker for the Center for Autism Research. She provides supports for the clinicians and families that are involved with the center, manages the CAR Autism Roadmap™ resource website, and is available to provide information and resources to families.

Ayana King Pointer

Administrative Liaison

Ayana King Pointer

Ayana has enjoyed working at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for many years. Ayana provides high-level administrative support to our Center's Scientific Director, Training Director and Administrative Director.

Jennifer Swope

Clinical Research Regulatory Specialist

Jennifer Swope

Jennifer Swope is the Clinical Research Regulatory Specialist at the Center for Autism Research. She works with investigators and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that research being conducted at CAR is done in accordance with local and federal regulations and policies in order to protect human subjects.

Dana Weidig

Outreach Manager

Dana Weidig

As CAR’s communicator, Dana develops all of CAR’s written materials and Web content, from blog posts, videos and marketing materials to social media and the CAR e-Newsletter. She organizes CAR’s events and connects CAR faculty members with speaking opportunities and the media.

Whitney Guthrie, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Whitney Guthrie, PhD

Whitney Guthrie, PhD is a Postdoctoral Fellow and Co-Director of the Data and Statistical Core at the Center for Autism Research. Dr. Guthrie’s research focuses on the early developmental trajectories that characterize ASD with the ultimate goal of improving early diagnosis and intervention.

Elizabeth Kim, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Elizabeth Kim, PhD

Eli is a Computer Science and Pediatrics postdoc at the Center for Autism Research. Her research applies and develops novel statistical and computational techniques for quantitatively measuring human behavior.

Evangelos Sariyanidi, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Evangelos Sariyanidi, PhD

Evangelos Sariyanidi, PhD, is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Autism Research. Dr. Sariyanidi is specialized in developing and applying computer vision and machine learning techniques, and his research focuses on the automatic quantification of facial movements.

Casey Zampella, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Casey Zampella, PhD

Casey Zampella, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Autism Research. Dr. Zampella’s research focuses on quantifying movement differences in children with ASD, and the role of those differences in social communication impairments.

Nathan Blum, MD

Chief, Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics

Nathan Blum, MD

Nathan J. Blum, MD, is chief of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a clinical collaborator with The Center for Autism Research.

Edward ("Ted") Brodkin, MD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Edward ("Ted") Brodkin, MD

Edward S. (“Ted”) Brodkin, M.D. is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and founder and director of the Adult Autism Spectrum Program at Penn Medicine. Dr. Brodkin’s research is focused on social functioning in ASD.

Ashley deMarchena, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience

Ashley deMarchena, PhD

Dr. deMarchena is Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the Universioty of the Sciences in Philadelphia. While completing her postdoctoral fellowship at CAR, Dr. deMarchena was a founding member of CAR's Technology & Innovation Lab. Professor de Marchena’s research focuses on the behavioral presentation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Debra Dunn, Esq

Consulting Director for Strategic Partnerships and Development

Debra Dunn, Esq

Deb is a consultant to the Center for Autism Research (CAR). She was initially hired as CAR's Public Relations Director and Recruitment Coordinator when CAR first began in 2008.

Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD

Director, CHOP Center for Applied Genomics

Hakon Hakonarson, MD, PhD

Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Applied Genomics and Professor of Pediatrics at The University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine.

Joseph McCleery, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Joseph McCleery, PhD

Dr. McCleery is Assistant Professor at St. Joseph's University (SJU) in the Department of Psychology, and Executive Director of SJU's Academic Programs in the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, His research examines the neural mechanisms of social processing and perception in infants, children and adults with and without ASD.