Wendy Chung, M.D., Ph.D.

Wendy Chung is director of clinical research at SFARI and the principal investigator of SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research) and Simons Searchlight. She joined the foundation in 2012, after serving on SFARI’s Scientific Advisory Board. Her role includes managing the research program in individuals with autism, evaluating opportunities to develop new treatments for autism including medications such as arbaclofen, and developing novel outcome measures to evaluate the efficacy of these treatments. She is involved in identifying novel genes for autism and characterizing the clinical features associated with these novel genes. She is leading the effort to build a community of individuals with autism and their families, working with them to better understand the causes of autism. Chung delivered a TED Talk, “What We Know About Autism.”

Chung earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and economics from Cornell University, her M.D. from Cornell University Medical College and her Ph.D. from the Rockefeller University in human genetics. She completed her residency in pediatrics and fellowships in medical and molecular genetics at Columbia University. Chung is also the Kennedy Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Columbia University, where she directs the clinical genetics program and performs human genetics research. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.