Raphe Bernier, PhD, will soon step down as Executive Director of the Seattle Children’s (SCH) Autism Center and leave Seattle Children’s and University of Washington for a fascinating position outside of academics. We are happy for him and glad that he will not be far away and will continue to be a source of inspiration. He leaves the SCH Autism Center having helped get it to a place where it is poised for growth and with a strong leadership team. Mendy Minjarez, PhD, will continue as clinical director and take on the role of acting executive director, working alongside Gary Stobbe, MD, and Soo-Jeong Kim, MD, who will expand their roles as director for transitional age youth and medical director, respectively. Erin Easley will continue as administrative director with additional support for her work.

We are excited to be carrying on with the center’s ambitious clinical and research agenda, including the new Autism 360 collaboration between the University of Washington, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s which will bridge programs addressing autism care and research across the lifespan. We are deeply grateful to Raphe for all he has done and for the families the center serves. We look forward to celebrating Raphe’s tenure and Mendy, Gary, Soo, and Erin’s taking on their additional leadership roles.