Dorothy Hoang is an Epidemiology PhD candidate with an extensive background in autism research. She is also a Clinical Research Coordinator for Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto's MARBLES Study (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies: Learning Early Signs) to determine the genetic and environmental causes of autism, identify emerging signs of autism, and develop early interventions.

Dorothy is particularly skilled in study design, analyzing longitudinal data using SAS software, and clinical experience in administering and identifying neurodevelopmental behavior in children. She is passionate about extending autism research to underserved populations and examining social determinants of health to strive for equitable care for all children that will impact their long-term health.

Fun Facts about Dorothy:

• Where did you grow up?
• San Jose, CA
• What drew you to this field?
• I started as an intern for the MARBLES study in 2013, which was right around the time my little cousin got diagnosed with ASD. He was the first in my family to ever have a diagnosis so I learned a lot from him in conjunction with the MARBLES internship, which organically drew me into ASD and epidemiology.
• Where are you happiest at work?
• Anywhere in the MIND Institute when I run into my colleagues.
• Where are you happiest outside of work?
• Doing anything active – swimming, biking, hiking, playing cornhole.. anything!
• What is something your colleagues generally don’t know about you? 
• I am very (and sometimes too) competitive when it comes to athletics or physical activities. I once challenged a coworker to see who could run more miles in a month. I hate running but needed to win so I forced myself to run 150 miles that month. I then got to enjoy watching him do 100 pushups as a punishment during our lunch break. 😊