Geraldine Dawson is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. She is Past-President of the International Society for Autism Research and a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. She is Director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, an interdisciplinary autism research and treatment center, and Chair of the Faculty Governance Committee for the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. Dawson has published extensively on early detection, brain function, and treatment of autism. With Sally Rogers, she developed the Early Start Denver Model, a comprehensive early behavioral intervention for young children with autism. Her awards include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Psychological Science and the NIH Top 20 Advances in Autism Research Award in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. TIME magazine recognized her work as a top 10 medical breakthrough of 2012. She completed a Ph.D. in Developmental/Child Clinical Psychology from University of Washington and clinical internship at UCLA.