Cara E. Pugliese, Ph.D.
Cara E. Pugliese, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, and Pediatrics at the George Washington University Medical School, and clinical psychologist at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Hospital. Dr. Pugliese received her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Richmond and her doctoral degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Pugliese specializes in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with an emphasis on transition to adulthood. Her research interests include the development, evaluation, implementation, and dissemination of evidence-based interventions into community settings to reduce disparities in access to care and improve quality of life for autistic individuals. In this context, she values community-based participatory research methods and stakeholder partnerships to ensure that interventions are relevant, strengths-based, and engaging. Dr. Pugliese has authored or co-authored more than 20 publications and received or participated in 10 externally funded research grants.