Establishing a coordinated scientific agenda for the autism community.
Meeting Information & Agenda
Location: National Press Club, Washington DC
(Enter on 14th Street)
and via Zoom
Watch the Zoom Recordings of the 3/19/26 Meeting
Date: March 19, 2026
10:00 -10:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks; Discussion of Key Goals
Alison Singer and Helen Tager-Flusberg
10:15 - 10:30 Updates on Autism CARES Act Implementation:
Craig Snyder, IKON Associates & Congressman Jim Greenwood
10:30 - 10:40 Strategies for Developing a Coordinated Strategic Plan
10:40 - 12:30 Research Priorities: (Each member to present for 15-20 minutes)
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch Break
1:30 - 3:00 Research Priorities Continued
3:00 - 3:15 Break
3:15 - 4:00 Public Comment Period
4:00 - 4:30 Committee Discussion
4:30 - 5:00 Summary, Action Items, and Next Steps
5:00 Adjourn
Written Comments may be sent to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZD6HBV
All comments become property of the committee and may be shared publicly.
The Independent
Autism Coordinating
Committee (I-ACC)
Advancing a Coordinated National Agenda for Autism Research
The I-ACC will develop a coordinated scientific strategic plan for autism research.
Recent events have made this a pivotal moment to strengthen coordination among non-governmental groups, including scientists and stakeholders with scientific expertise. This new independent consortium will promote alignment and help sustain autism research progress.
Our Mission
The I-ACC will coordinate work among non-governmental autism research funders and will fulfill the Autism CARES Act objective of developing a coordinated scientific agenda for the autism community.
In 2006, Congress passed the Combating Autism Act, which created an Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The law requires the IACC to develop an annual strategic plan for autism research and submit an annual summary of scientific advances to Congress. For the past 20 years, the IACC has fulfilled this role.
Earlier this year, HHS Secretary Kennedy announced 21 new public IACC members many of whom propound the false narrative that childhood vaccines cause autism. Several of the new members have promoted non-evidence based, often dangerous “treatments” for autism. None, including the new chair, have ever served on the IACC.
The new Independent Autism Coordinating Committee will bring together accomplished scientific experts and stakeholders with research expertise, with the goal of accelerating scientific discovery, improving care, and positively impacting the lives of people with autism. It will create a research agenda for autism that reflects the rapid progress and growing promise of autism science, and will report annually on the key advances in autism research across the translational continuum, including basic research on genes and cells, environmental causes, early detection, therapeutics, and services.
The I-ACC will maintain an independent agenda and will also follow the meeting schedule of the Kennedy-appointed IACC so that it can respond quickly to any recommendations that are not supported by science. The group will serve as a credible source for anyone trying to understand the science of autism.
Our Members
The Independent Autism Coordinating Committee (I-ACC) is composed of distinguished experts and advocates dedicated to establishing a coordinated scientific agenda and showcasing transformative research advances. The committee is still in formation.
Member Photo
Former Director, NIMH
IACC Chair (2016–2024)
Dr. Joshua Gordon
Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., is the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. He served as the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from 2016 until 2024, Dr. Gordon is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Member Photo
President and CEO, Autism Society of America
Joseph Joyce
Joseph Joyce is President & CEO of The Autism Society of America, the nation’s largest and oldest grassroots autism organization. Joyce has also been a passionate board member and leader for multiple not-for-profit organizations including the Autism Society of America, Autism Science Foundation, and the National Down Syndrome Society. His son Matthew has Down syndrome and his son David is profoundly affected by autism.
President, Autism Science Foundation;
IACC member (2006-2018)
Alison Singer
Alison Singer is Founder and President of the Autism Science Foundation. She served 3 terms as a public member of the IACC where she chaired the Workgroup on Safety and served on the Strategic Plan Workgroup. Alison has a daughter and brother with profound autism. She has an MBA from Harvard and an honorary doctorate from Emory.
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Coalition of Autism Scientists
IACC member (2019-2025)
Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg
Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg is Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence at Boston
University. In 2025 she founded the Coalition of Autism Scientists. She is the Past President of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR: 2011-2013).
Member Photo
Congressman Jim Greenwood
Former U.S. Congressman (R); Sponsor of the Pediatric Research Initiative of 1999 which created the IACC
James C. Greenwood represented Pennsylvania's 8th district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993–2005, focusing on healthcare and environmental issues. Following his congressional career, he was President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and now works as a senior policy advisor at DLA Piper.
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Dr. Amy Lutz
University of Pennsylvania;
Autism Parent
Amy S.F. Lutz, PhD is a historian of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Vice-President of the National Council on Severe Autism (NCSA), and the parent of a profoundly autistic son, Jonah, 27. She is the author of three books and dozens of articles on profound autism.
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Dr. Kristin Sohl
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Dr. Kristin Sohl is a pediatrician and Professor of Pediatrics as well as Founder and Executive Director of ECHO Autism Communities, an international initiative focused on expanding community-based capacity for autism identification, diagnosis, and longitudinal care.. She serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities Executive Committee.
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Dr. John Walkup
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
John Walkup, M.D., is Chair of the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health; Margaret C. Osterman Board Designated Professor in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is the current president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
Former Director, NIMH
IACC Chair (2002–2015)
Dr. Tom Insel
Tom lnsel, M.D., a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, served as Director of the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH) from 2002-2015. Since 2015, he has focused on digital health innovation in Silicon Valley, co-founding five technology companies. Dr. Insel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
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Dr. David Mandell
University of Pennsylvania;
IACC member (2012-2016)
Dr. Mandell is the Kenneth E. Appel Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He is trained as a psychiatric epidemiologist and mental health services researcher.
Dr. Mandell holds a bachelor of arts in psychology from Columbia University and a doctorate of science from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene & Public Health.
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Dr. Matthew State
Scientific Director, Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA)
Matthew State, M.D, PhD, is the ARIA Scientific Director and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. He is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, physician-scientist, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Dr. Zachary Williams
Autistic Physician & Scientist, UCLA
Zachary Williams, M.D., PhD, is an autistic autism researcher with a background in quantitative psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and data science. He is past chair of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Autistic Researchers Committee. He is a resident Physician in Psychiatry at UCLA.