KEVIN PELPHREY, PHD
Carbonell Family Professor & Director, Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, The George Washington University & Children’s National Health System
Dr. Kevin Pelphrey is Carbonell Family Professor and Director of the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute at The George Washington University (GW) and Children’s National Health System (CNHS) in Washington, DC. As a neuroscientist, his research investigates the brain basis of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. The goal of his research is to understand the causes of autism to help get the right treatment to the right individual at the right time. Dr. Pelphrey is the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Autism Center for Excellence—Multimodal Developmental Neurogenetics of Females with Autism network that spans GW/CNHS (the lead site), Yale, Boston Children’s Hospital, UCLA, UCSF, University of Southern California, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. His contributions to the field have been recognized by receipt of a NIH Scientist Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health, a John Merck Scholars Award, and the American Psychological Association's Boyd McCandless Award for distinguished early career theoretical contributions to Developmental Psychology. Dr. Pelphrey is the inaugural Director of the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute. The Institute serves as a focal point for translational research and comprehensive clinical services for autism spectrum disorders. Based in Washington, DC the Institute is a beacon for policymakers, media and the public seeking information on issues surrounding policy, research and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Pelphrey’s work is heavily influenced by his experiences as the father of 5 children—3 boys and 2 girls—including a son and a daughter on the autism spectrum.