PolicyLab

Kate Wallis (she/her) is a faculty member at PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), an attending physician in CHOP’s Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, and a senior fellow in Penn’s Center for Public Health Initiatives.

Dr. Wallis has long been interested in health equity. Her work to date has focused on improving the identification of and care for youth with autism spectrum disorder, specifically improving equity in care and outcomes among children from underserved backgrounds. Her recent work has explored screening for autism and other developmental disorders in primary care, identifying and addressing depression and suicidality among autistic adolescents, and improving scientific research practices to ensure that all children can benefit from research participation and study findings. She continues to focus on improving care for children with developmental disorders and autism to help all children—regardless of their family background—succeed.

Dr. Wallis earned her undergraduate degree in Health and Societies with a minor in Hispanic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She attended medical school at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, where she also earned a Masters in Public Health degree. She completed pediatrics residency at NYU School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital, followed by fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at CHOP.

Dr. Wallis received the 2024 Early Career Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Children with Disabilities (COCWD). She serves as co-chair of the Research Committee of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. She is on the Board of the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Her list of publications can be found: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/kate.wallis.1/bibliography/public/.