Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp is a medical

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

and chief of the developmental disabilities branch at the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

, where she has worked since 1981. She is also an adjunct assistant professor of

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

. She is the great-niece of Benjamin Mays, former president of

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

Education

Yeargin-Allsopp was the first African-American student to attend and graduate from

Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's liberal arts college in Sweet Briar, Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in ...

; she entered the school in 1966, and graduated in 1968. She received her M.D. from Emory University in 1972, where she was the first black woman to enroll in the medical school, and completed her residency in

preventive medicine Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health a ...

in 1984. She also completed a fellowship in developmental pediatrics at

Albert Einstein College of Medicine The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a Private university, private medical school in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein is an independent degree-granting institution within the Montefiore Einstein Health System. Einstein hosts Doc ...

, where she was affiliated from 1975 to 1981, as well as a pediatric internship and residency at Montefiore Medical Center. She is board-certified in pediatrics and in developmental disabilities.

Career

Yeargin-Allsopp is the chief of the developmental disabilities branch of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the

(CDC). She has worked with the CDC since 1981. Yeargin-Allsopp is also a former member of

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is an American non-profit autism awareness organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governm ...

' scientific advisory board and scientific affairs committee. In addition, she is the chair of the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the National Children's Study. In 2008, the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. It is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The AAP has published hundreds of poli ...

gave Yeargin-Allsopp the Arnold J. Capute Award for her work in the field of children's disabilities.

Research

Yeargin-Allsopp's research focuses mainly on the epidemiology of

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and other developmental disabilities such as

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

, especially in urban areas. She was the first to develop a population-based surveillance system to measure the prevalence of such disabilities among school-age children. In 2003, she published results which identified 987 confirmed cases of autism among a group of three- to ten-year-old children in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, resulting in a prevalence of 34 cases per 10,000. This rate is much higher than traditional estimates of the disorder, but one textbook still characterizes it as likely underestimating the issue.

References

External links

CDC: One in 150 kids may have autism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeargin-Allsopp, Marshalyn 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics American pediatricians American women pediatricians American women academics Autism researchers Centers for Disease Control and Prevention people Emory University faculty Emory University School of Medicine alumni American public health doctors Living people Sweet Briar College alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics American women public health doctors