IACC Full Committee Meeting

The purpose of the IACC meeting is to discuss business, agency updates, and issues related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research and services activities. The meeting will be held as a virtual meeting and is open to the public.

Day 1: Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Day 2: Thursday, July 22, 2021

Topic	Topic Description
Dates:	Wednesday, July, 21; 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET Thursday, July, 22; 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET
Cost:	The event is free and open to the public.
Access:	This was a virtual event and the video is posted below.
Public Comments:	The IACC welcomes public comment from members of the autism community. Submission, Deadlines and Guidelines.
Disability Accommodations:	Captioning will be available. Individuals who need sign language interpreters and/or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this event may contact Rebecca Martin at Rebecca.martin@nih.gov or 301-435-0886. Please make accommodation requests 7 business days prior to the event. The event is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Day 1: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=42326

Time	Event
1:00 p.m.	Welcome Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Chair, IACC Susan Daniels, Ph.D. Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC Acting National Autism Coordinator Courtney Aklin, Ph.D. Acting Associate Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health The Honorable Andrea Palm Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services The Honorable Robert Menendez (D-NJ) United States Senate The Honorable Chis Smith (R-NJ) U.S. House of Representatives
1:55	Break
2:00	Introductions of IACC Members Susan Daniels, Ph.D. Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC Acting National Autism Coordinator Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Chair, IACC
2:55	Break
3:00	National Autism Coordinator Update Susan Daniels, Ph.D. Acting National Autism Coordinator Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC
3:10	IACC Committee Business Susan Daniels, Ph.D. Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC Acting National Autism Coordinator IACC Strategic Plan IACC Summary of Advances Additional IACC projects and activities
4:00	Adjournment - Day 1 Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Chair, IACC Susan Daniels, Ph.D. Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC Acting National Autism Coordinator

Day 2: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=42327

Time

Event

2:00 p.m.

Committee Discussion of COVID-19 Impact, Response, and Recovery

Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Chair, IACC

2:55

Break

3:00

Public Comment Session

Susan Daniels, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC
Acting National Autism Coordinator

Luis Valdez-Lopez, M.P.H.
Policy Analyst, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH

3:00:	Virtual Oral Comments
3:20:	Summary of Written and Live Feedback Comments
3:30:	Discussion by Committee

3:55

Break

4:00

Committee Discussion of Racial Equity and Health Disparities in ASD

Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Chair, IACC

4:55

Closing Remarks and Adjournment - Day 2

Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Chair, IACC

Susan Daniels, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC
Acting National Autism Coordinator

Schedule is subject to change. For more information on upcoming events, please see https://iacc.hhs.gov/meetings/iacc-meetings/

Next IACC Full Committee Meeting:
Day 1: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 - Virtual
Day 2: Thursday, October 14, 2021 - Virtual

July Meeting Minutes (PDF 384 KB)

Courtney Ferrell Aklin, Ph.D.

Acting Associate Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health

Dr. Courtney Ferrell Aklin serves as the Acting Associate Deputy Director of NIH. She also is a Senior Advisor within the Immediate Office of the Director (IMOD), where she is responsible for advising on a broad array of complex and sensitive issues, strategic interactions, and management leading to the effective and efficient operation of the IMOD. Prior to this, Dr. Aklin served as the Chief of Staff at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. As the Chief of Staff, she developed and implemented strategic initiatives to fulfill the Institute's mission, while also overseeing communications, outreach, and legislative activities. Dr. Aklin has over 15 years of research administration and leadership experience at NIH. At the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke, she designed and managed programs to augment emerging neuroscience research programs at universities and medical schools committed to increasing diversity in the biomedical workforce. Before her work at NINDS, Dr. Aklin was Assistant Director of Training and Director of the Fear and Anxiety research portfolio within the Division of Developmental Translational Research at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Aklin came to NIH in 2004 as an American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Science & Technology Policy Fellow to work on activities related to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Dr. Aklin is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park and a B.A. in business administration and psychology from the University of Richmond.

The Honorable Andrea Palm

Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services

Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm is the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As Deputy Secretary, she is the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Department. Deputy Secretary Palm most recently served as Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). In this role, she had responsibility for the state's Medicaid program, its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and behavioral health programs, among others. DHS is also Wisconsin's public health agency, and as such, Deputy Secretary Palm led the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, Deputy Secretary Palm held a number of policy and operational roles in the Obama-Biden Administration at HHS, including Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Counselor, Chief of Staff and Senior Counselor to the Secretary. During her eight-year tenure, she worked on a variety of Administration priorities, including the Affordable Care Act, as well as providing leadership for the Department's work to combat the opioid epidemic. Deputy Secretary Palm was born and raised in rural, upstate New York. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

The Honorable Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

United States Senate

U.S. Senator Robert "Bob" Menendez has served as Senator of New Jersey since 2006. He is a sponsor of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (Autism CARES) Act of 2019 and sponsored previous iterations of the legislation. He is also a member of the bipartisan Congressional Autism Caucus. Sen. Menendez has been in public service for decades; serving as mayor of Union City before becoming a state legislator. He was then elected to Congress in 1992. He currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the 117th Congress. As Chairman he has focused the Committee’s work on competition with China, confronting the global pandemic, and supporting democracy advocates and those living in poverty across the globe. He also serves on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and is senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. Throughout his time in public service he supported legislation to promote safe and healthy families. Sen Menendez received his B.A. from St. Peter's College in Jersey City and his law degree from Rutgers University.

The Honorable Chis Smith (R-NJ)

U.S. House of Representatives

Elected in 1980, Representative Chris Smith is currently in his 21st two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and serves residents of the Fourth Congressional District of New Jersey. U.S. House of Representatives and serves residents of the 4th District of New Jersey. Rep. Smith continues to co-Chair the bipartisan Congressional Autism Caucus since he co-founded the group 21 years ago. Rep. Smith co-sponsored the Autism CARES Act, which was signed into law in September 2019. Additionally, other three autism laws which Rep. Smith wrote passed in 2000, 2011, 2014; including the Autism CARES Act of 2014, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act (CARA) of 2011, and the Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research, and Epidemiology Act (ASSURE) of 2000. He served as a senior member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and is Ranking Member of its Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee. He served as the Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and Ranking Member of the bipartisan House/Senate/White House Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), serving as chairman twice, and also serves as "Special Representative" on Human Trafficking for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. As of January 1st, 2021, Rep. Smith ranks second among all 435 Members of the House over the last two decades in the number of laws authored. A lifelong New Jersey resident, Rep. Smith graduated the College of New Jersey with a degree in business administration and spent a semester abroad at Worcester College in England.