Acting National Autism Coordinator Named
• Institute Update
National Autism Coordinator Ann E. Wagner, Ph.D., will retire from federal service on June 30, 2021—Susan A. Daniels, Ph.D., will serve as Acting National Autism Coordinator beginning on July 1, 2021, and until a permanent successor is named.
The role of National Autism Coordinator was established as part of the Autism CARES Act of 2014 to oversee national autism spectrum disorder research, services, and support activities across the federal government. The National Autism Coordinator implements autism spectrum disorder activities, taking into account the strategic plan developed by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and ensuring that autism spectrum disorder activities across federal departments and agencies do not unnecessarily duplicate efforts.
Dr. Wagner was appointed National Autism Coordinator in February 2018. Dr. Wagner retires after more than 20 years in federal service, during which she previously served as the Chief of the Biomarker and Intervention Development for Childhood-Onset Mental Disorders Branch in the Division of Translational Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Dr. Daniels will assume the role of Acting National Autism Coordinator while continuing to serve as Director of the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) at NIMH and as Executive Secretary of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) . Dr. Daniels has led OARC and managed IACC activities since 2008. She previously served as Acting National Autism Coordinator from August 2017 to January 2018. Dr. Daniels received her Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology from Brandeis University.