The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Track of the UW School of Medicine’s Psychology Internship Program was established in 2020. After expanding from one to two residents annually in 2022, we have welcomed and trained eight psychology residents since our launch. The track is very competitive in match success and our residents represent the best-of-the-best in the field of autism and developmental disabilities! All of our graduates to date have elected to stay at UW or Seattle Children’s for their postdoctoral fellowships and this year, we were delighted to welcome the first resident from our track, Daina Tagavi, PhD, to become faculty in our department! Dr. Tagavi joined the Child Division in April as an Acting Assistant Professor. She practices clinically at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center and has already been very successful in securing grant funding.

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Track was developed and created by Jennifer Gerdts, PhD, who is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Gerdts served as the Track Coordinator for the past five years and was instrumental in the Psychology Internship Program. In 2024, Erin Olson, PhD, clinical associate professor and training director at Seattle Children’s Autism Center, will serve as the next track coordinator, as Dr. Gerdts will be shifting to a career outside of academia. The Psychology Internship Program would like to thank Dr. Gerdts for her leadership and years of service to our program and department