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Geraldine Dawson

William Cleland Distinguished Professor
Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry
Box 3527 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710
2608 Erwin Road, Suite 300, Duke University Med Center, Durham, NC 27705

Overview


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. 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2014 - Present Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Professor in Pediatrics · 2014 - Present Pediatrics, Clinical Science Departments
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2017 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy · 2016 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2018 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published October 3, 2023
A 10-Minute App Can Screen for Autism
Published February 14, 2023
Harnessing Electronic Health Record Data for Earlier Autism Detection
Published November 21, 2022
Duke Scholars Using Internal Seed Grants to Build Foundation for Collaborative Research

View All News

Recent Publications


Autism Digital Phenotyping in Preschool- and School-Age Children.

Journal Article Autism Res · April 2, 2025 There is a critical need for scalable and objective tools for autism screening and outcome monitoring, which can be used alongside traditional caregiver and clinical measures. To address this need, we developed SenseToKnow, a tablet- or smartphone-based di ... Full text Link to item Cite

Longitudinal relationships between social anhedonia and internalizing symptoms in autistic children: results from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials.

Journal Article Psychol Med · April 2, 2025 BACKGROUND: Social anhedonia, indicating reduced pleasure from social interaction, is heightened in autistic youth and associated with increased internalizing symptoms transdiagnostically. The stability of social anhedonia over time and its longitudinal im ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinician-caregiver informant discrepancy is associated with sex, diagnosis age, and intervention use among autistic children.

Journal Article Autism · March 2025 Clinician and caregiver reports of autism features are both integral to receiving an autism diagnosis and appropriate intervention, yet informant discrepancies are present in clinical practice and may differ by demographic characteristics of the child and ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Duke-NCCU Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Training Program in Child Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Conditions Program (DN-IPT)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Duke University Psychiatry Physician-Scientist Residency Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2024 - 2029

Electrophysiological biomarkers of social engagement in autism

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Washington · 1979 Ph.D.