Coalition Member Biographies
Dr. Janet Cakir, PhD is a distinguished environmental scientist and climate adaptation expert with extensive experience in natural resource science, climate resilience, and environmental health. Her career spans impactful work with the National Park Service (NPS) and several other federal agencies, where she advanced climate adaptation initiatives to help parks respond to shifting visitor needs and environmental conditions. She has also conducted high-impact research on autism costs, prevalence, trends, and environmental influences, producing widely cited publications that have informed public health policy and prevention strategies.
At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Cakir focused on the human-environment interface, including the health impacts of air pollution, earning their highest awards for her innovative contributions to regulatory science and policy. Her multidisciplinary expertise and ability to bridge research, public engagement, and actionable solutions reflect her dedication to addressing the complex challenges of a changing world.
While at the USDA/NRCS/NCGC and the HHS/NIH/NIEHS/DERT/SRP, Dr. Cakir helped to push forward strategic plans to guide the organizations amid shifting technological and scientific landscapes in geospatial technology and environmental contamination respectively.
Dr. Cakir is participating in her personal capacity and her views do not represent her agency or the federal government. Dr. Cakir’s participation does not overlap with her official duties and she uses no official government time, equipment, or systems to participate.
Laura Cellini is the Founder and CEO of Elucidate ASD, dedicated to building precision medical solutions for autism and related medical conditions. As a seasoned public policy expert with more than two decades of legislative advocacy and parent to a child with complex medical needs, she brings both policy expertise and personal insight to bridging technology, science and care.
Timothy Clark is a former Senior Advisor to the Secretary and White House Liaison for Political Personnel. He was appointed in January 2017 to serve President Donald Trump and Secretary Tom Price as the White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is also a former Chief of Staff in the California State Senate, and a 25-year expert in public policy, public affairs, government relations, and ballot measure and candidate campaigns. Mr. Clark also served as the Southwestern United States Political Coordinator for the Trump/Pence Campaign.
Dr. Cunningham received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology in1973 at University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences in Memphis, Tn. She studied as a postdoctoral fellow in Protein Studies Laboratory at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. She currently is George Lynn Cross Research Professor and the Presbyterian Health Fdn Presidential Professor in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center(OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK. She has served as Director and Principal Investigator of the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supported T32 Immunology Training Program at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine for the past 20+ years.
Dr. Cunningham’s original investigations on the role of group A streptococcal infection in rheumatic fever and molecular mimicry in 1985 opened a new era of research on autoimmunity and infection. Since that time, she has served the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the Myocarditis Working Group and a number of other NIH research study groups. She also has served the American Heart Association on the National Research Committee as well as many other committees and review groups.
She was a representative of the United States for the US-Indo Vaccine Action Program. In 2010, she was a featured lecturer in the American Association of Immunologists Presidential Symposium and has served as a consultant and lecturer for the National Academy of Sciences, USA. She received a National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Career Development Award in her early years and in later years an NHLBI Merit Award. She has served since 1986 on many National Institutes of Health Study Sections as Ad Hoc and permanent member. She has been supported by the NIH for the past 35 years. Research in Dr. Cunningham’s laboratory investigates molecular mimicry, autoimmunity and infection in inflammatory heart disease, rheumatic carditis myocarditis and in behavioral, neuropsychiatric and movement disorders which are considered to be a basal ganglia encephalitis and can be associated with autism spectrum disorders.
Her human translational research has investigated many areas of autoimmunity and infection including rheumatic fever, myocarditis, chorea, and other human diseases in clinical and basic immunology. Dr. Cunningham has been elected fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has served as president of the Lancefield Society for Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases and has been active in the American Society for Microbiology, the American Association of Immunologists and Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies.
She is Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Moleculera Labs in the OUHSC research park which offers patented tests for
anti-neuronal autoantibodies developed by Dr Cunningham for identification of autoimmune movement and neuropsychiatric diseases associated with infections and autism spectrum disorders. She lectures worldwide and serves on many committees and advisory boards in the USA and abroad.
Dr. Sylvia Fogel is a psychiatrist in private practice. She combines her clinical insight treating individuals with autism and neuroimmune disorders with the lived experience of parenting a child with severe autism and PANS. Her work and advocacy underscore the urgent need for a medically informed standard of care. Dr. Fogel will offer a dual lens regarding PANS/PANDAS and the real-world consequences of failing to recognize and treat immune-mediated neuropsychiatric syndromes in autism.
Dr. Richard Frye is a Child Neurologist with expertise in neurodevelopmental and neurometabolic disorders. He received an MD and PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at the University of Miami, Residency in Child Neurology and Fellowship in Behavioral Neurology and Learning Disabilities at Harvard University/Children’s Hospital Boston and Fellowship in Psychology at Boston University. He also received a Masters in Biomedical Science and Biostatistics from Drexel University. He holds board certifications in Pediatrics, and in Neurology with Special Competence in Child Neurology. Dr. Frye is a national leader in autism research. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and serves on several editorial boards.
He has lead several clinical studies on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including studies focusing on defining the clinical, behavioral, cognitive, genetic and metabolic characteristics of children with ASD and mitochondrial disease and several clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of safe and novel treatments that target underlying physiological abnormalities in children with ASD, including open-label studies on tetrahydrobiopterin, cobalamin and folinic acid and a recent double-blind placebo controlled trial on folinic acid. His ongoing research efforts focus on defining metabolic endophenotypes of children with ASD and developing targeted treatments.
In 2022, Dr. Frye became the co-founder of The Autism Discovery and Treatment Foundation, a 501c non-profit organization dedicated to researching biomarkers and treatments for complicated neurodevelopmental disorders. He currently sees American patients at Rossignol Medical Center and many international patients at Neurodevelopmental Precision Medicine, and will soon be publishing a book about Cerebral Folate Deficiency.
John Gaines has a wealth of experience in revenue generation strategies, having successfully implemented and executed revenue growth initiatives throughout his career. He will lead our organization in identifying new revenue streams, optimizing existing ones, and capitalizing on
untapped opportunities. His proven track record of driving revenue growth will enable dramatic results for our team and investors.
Throughout his sales career, John has demonstrated expertise in navigating complex enterprise environments, while leading sales organizations within MatchRite Care, Hitachi Vantara Federal, Microsoft Healthcare, MetroStar Systems, and Virtustream. John led Virtustream’s Federal business,
taking it from pre-revenue to over $100M in ACV, which played a significant role in EMC’s acquisition of Virtustream for $1.2B in 2015.
John’s professional accomplishments include managing the largest portfolio of Healthcare Providers and Insurers for Microsoft’s Healthcare Division, building the Federal business for Virtustream, and launching the Federal System Integrator (FSI) Business Units for both Pure Storage and Hitachi Vantara Federal.
Dr. Gaitanis, a graduate of Brown Medical School, completed his neurology training at Children’s Hospital Boston. In 2004, Dr. Gaitanis returned to Brown Medical School and Hasbro Children’s Hospital where he served as the director of pediatric epilepsy. He aided in the development of ketogenic diet and epilepsy surgery programs at Brown. In 2014, he joined Tufts Medical School where he was the Chief of Pediatric Neurology. In 2022, he returned to Brown where he is now their director of Child Neurology. Apart from his clinical duties, Dr. Gaitanis on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of New England and participates on the Neuroimmune Foundation Case Based Consultation Panel. Dr. Gaitanis’ research is focused on autism and epilepsy.
Dr. Dana Johnson, PhD, MS, OTR/L, is the Founder of Spellers Center Tampa and Spellers Center Atlanta, the Founder of Invictus Academy Tampa Bay, and the co-founder of the Spellers Method™. She holds a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and a Ph.D. in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Development. Dr. Johnson is a producer of the award-winning documentary SPELLERS, executive producer of UNDERESTIMATED: The Heroic Rise of Nonspeaking Spellers, and co-author of The Spellers Guidebook: Practical Advice for Parents and Students.
She also serves on the Medical Science and Advisory Board for Documenting Hope. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Johnson specializes in helping individuals with autism, apraxia, and other neurodevelopmental disabilities develop intentional motor skills and improve their overall health. Her work is rooted in a deep belief that these individuals are capable, intelligent, and deserving of the support needed to unlock their full potential.
Dawnmarie is the founder of Spellers Center – San Diego, cofounder of the Spellers Method, an Assistive Technology Specialist (AT-ACP), and executive producer of the award-winning SPELLERS documentary released at the Phoenix Film Festival in March 2023 where it won Best Documentary & Donor’s Choice Award. Dawnmarie is also president of the board for Spellers Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to whose to providing every nonspeaker with access to communication via scholarships, school trainings, community building, and advocacy.
Dawnmarie’s autistic children inspired her passion to support all nonspeakers in the development of purposeful motor skills and a reliable form of communication. You can learn more about her as well as ways to view the film, SPELLERS, by visiting www.spellers.com.
Dr. Chris Mattmann is a leading figure in data science and artificial intelligence, currently serving as the inaugural Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAIO) at UCLA. In this role, he spearheads the university’s strategy for AI innovation, ensuring ethical and impactful adoption across campus. Prior to UCLA, Dr. Mattmann spent nearly 24 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he held positions including Chief Technology and Innovation Officer and Division Manager of the Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, and Innovative Development Organization. His contributions at JPL were instrumental in developing next-generation data processing systems for key Earth science missions such as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) project.
Dr. Mattmann is also renowned for his work in the open-source community. He was a member of the Board of Directors at the Apache Software Foundation from 2013 to 2018 and was one of the initial contributors to Apache Nutch, the predecessor to Apache Hadoop. He is the creator of Apache Tika, a widely used content analysis framework that played a pivotal role in the Panama Papers investigation, which earned a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in 2017. Beyond his technical achievements, Dr. Mattmann serves as an Adjunct Research Professor and Director of the Information Retrieval & Data Science (IRDS) group at the University of Southern California, where he teaches graduate courses in data science and information retrieval. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from USC and a Public Policy Executive Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School.
James Neuenschwander, M.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Neu) has been practicing integrative medicine since 1988. He is the owner of Bio Energy Medical Center, a multidisciplinary, integrative medical practice with the philosophy of treating illness at its source using whatever tools are available.
Dr. Neu is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School and is board certified in Emergency Medicine, Integrative and Holistic Medicine, as well as Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) as well as holding a certification in chelation therapy. He is a member of A4M, ACAM, and ILADS. He has been a DAN! Practitioner since 2007, a member of MAPS since its founding, and a MAPS fellow since 2014 and currently serves as the MAPS President.
Dr. Nathan Price is Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Human Healthspan at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and is also Chief Scientific Officer of Thorne, a science-driven wellness company that serves 5 million+ customers and 47,000 health-care practitioners. Previously he was CEO of Onegevity, an AI health intelligence company that merged with Thorne in 2021, and Professor and Associate Director of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle for a decade. He is co-author with biotechnology pioneer Lee Hood of a 2023 bestselling book, The Age of Scientific Wellness, published by Harvard University Press.
In 2019, he was named one of the 10 Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine by the National Academy of Medicine, and in 2021 he was appointed to the Board on Life Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He was the chair of the NIH Study Section on Modeling and Analysis of Biological Systems (MABS) from 2018-2020. He is also a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, and was the 2023 recipient of the Alexander & Mildred Seelig Award for science from the American Nutrition Association.
Dr. Quadros is Research Professor in the Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY. He is an expert on the biochemical and molecular aspects of vitamin B12 / folate absorption, transport and metabolism. His work has led to a better understanding of B12 and folate metabolism in the brain. Another area of research actively being pursued in his laboratory is the association of folate receptor autoimmunity with neural tube defect pregnancy and cerebral folate deficiency.
Current research in his laboratory is focused on fetal and neonatal brain development and the role of folate and B12 in this process. He is the discoverer of folate receptor autoimmune disorder and has established a link between an autoimmune disorder that produces autoantibodies against the folate receptor alpha, a membrane receptor involved in folate transport to the fetus and to the brain. The association of these autoantibodies in women during pregnancy can cause abnormal fetal brain development leading to neural tube defects and spina bifida. In the newborn, these antibodies can block folate transport to the brain and affect brain function. A strong link has been established between the presence of folate receptor autoantibodies and autism spectrum disorders. Folinic acid treatment has helped alleviate many of the core behavioral deficits in autistic children with these autoantibodies. Research in his laboratory is aimed at understanding the cause and effects of this autoimmune disorder and how best to prevent and treat the pathologic consequences. He is the developer of the FRAT test to identify folate receptor autoantibodies in serum. His work focuses on looking into identifying novel markers in women at risk of having an autistic child and children at risk of developing autism.
Denise D. Resnik is the founder and president/CEO of First Place AZ (established in 2012), co-founder of Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC, established in 1997), and founder and CEO of DRA Collective, a marketing/communications firm (established in 1986) that serves clients in a variety of fields, including real estate, economic development, healthcare, education and hospitality.
Denise serves as a member of Arizona State University Foundation Board and Watts College Dean’s Council, the Creighton University Presidential Health Sciences Phoenix Advisory Board and The Precisionists, Inc. Advisory Board. Former leadership positions include the Autism Society Marketing Task Force, Autism Speaks Housing Committee, Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism Leadership Council, National Association of Residential Providers for Adults with Autism and the National Autism Transition Research Network Advisory Panel. She has also served as a federally appointed member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health.
Denise has received numerous local and national honors for her civic contributions and business accomplishments. She graduated cum laude from ASU, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Her adult son Matt, who has autism, and others with disabilities inspire her work.
Honey Rinicella is the Executive Director of the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special needs (MAPS), and proud parent of adult twins with autism. Prior to her onboarding with MAPS, Honey spent nearly two decades working leadership roles for Non-Profits, supporting families and parents in the Autism/Special needs community. She has seen the lives of her children transform under the care of a MAPS physician, which in turn has sparked her passion to grow the organization. The MAPS mission is to equip dedicated professionals in delivering the best possible care to children, teens, and young adults with special needs and complex medical conditions. Honey’s commitment is to ensure every child has the chance to achieve their full potential through this enhanced care; She knows first hand that a properly educated practitioner is the true key to unlocking that potential in anyone with Special Needs.
Dr. Dinesh Kumar Singh, PhD, stands out as a pioneering scientist, visionary leader, and passionate advocate whose career is devoted to unraveling the intricate immunological roots of autism and transforming how it is diagnosed and managed. As President and Chief Scientific Officer of MomIgs Inc. and Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Singh brings an unparalleled combination of academic excellence, marked by multiple publications in Cell Press journals and groundbreaking research at ICGEB and UT Southwestern with a translational drive, having patented technologies to fortify infant immunological health and innovate ASD biomarker discovery.
Dr. Singh’s trailblazing work spans elucidating the basic mechanisms of immune cell signaling, pioneering cancer systems biology, and advancing gene and cell therapy. His unique focus on the intersection of maternal antibodies, immune-metabolic interactions, and the gut-brain axis positions him at the vanguard of discovering how the earliest immune influences shape autism risk and expression. Under his leadership, MomIgs Inc. has translated this science into patented maternal antibody therapeutics for infant nutrition, tackling the immunological foundation of neurodevelopment with innovative rigor.
He is the inaugural recipient of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Fellowship, the most prestigious fellowship awarded to any graduate student by the Government of India, and holding senior roles in both academia and industry, Dr. Singh exemplifies the kind of integrative, future-facing leadership needed to address the autism crisis. He is actively driving the Autism Biomarker Discovery Project, a bold, multidisciplinary effort aimed at early, life-changing detection and personalized intervention for ASD, while championing equitable access to diagnostics and care for underserved families who continue to face immense barriers.
Through seminal research, visionary translational initiatives, and a deep, personal commitment to advancing autism science, Dr. Singh inspires the next generation of researchers and practitioners. His work not only delivers hope and direction for families affected by autism, but also fuels the Autism Research Coalition’s mission to create a future where early identification, targeted intervention, and comprehensive support are realities
for every child and family in America.
Dr. Keivan Stassun, PhD holds the Stevenson chair in Physics & Astronomy at Vanderbilt University, where he was previously the recipient of an NSF CAREER award, a Cottrell Scholar award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, an HHMI Professor award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship from the National Academies. Stassun is a co-investigator for NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, chairs the executive committee of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and recently served on the National Academy of Science’s Decadal Steering Committee for Astronomy & Astrophysics.
An elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Astronomical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, his research on stars and exoplanets has appeared in more than 500 peer-reviewed journal articles, with an emphasis on developing new data-driven methods for making precise measurements of the fundamental physical properties of stars and planets.
From 2004 to 2015, he served as founding director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program, which has become one of the nation’s top producers of PhDs to underrepresented minorities in the physical sciences. Having trained more than 50 PhD students and postdoctoral scholars from diverse backgrounds, Stassun is a leader and advocate for broadening participation in STEM, especially of underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities.
He has served on NSF’s Committee for Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, chaired the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on Minorities, is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s Nicholson Medal for Human Outreach, has been named Mentor of the Year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Dr. Stassun currently serves as founding director of the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation in Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering, focused on advancing science and engineering through the engagement and workforce development of autistic individuals and those with other forms of neurodiversity. In 2023, Stassun was appointed to a six-year term on the National Science Board by President Joseph R. Biden.
