In Bold Move, Kennedy Appoints 21 New Members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

By Louis Conte, Health Freedom Editor, The MAHA Report

On Wednesday, January 28, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced significant changes to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), introducing a new slate of committee members tasked with applying gold standard science to better understanding the autism epidemic.

According to HHS, the appointments reflect Kennedy’s “commitment to support breakthrough innovations in autism research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention by bringing the nation’s understanding of and policies concerning autism into alignment with gold-standard science.”

Secretary Kennedy stated, “President Trump directed us to bring autism research into the 21st century. We are doing that by appointing the most qualified experts - leaders with decades of experience studying, researching, and treating autism. These public servants will pursue rigorous science and deliver the answers Americans deserve.”

Unlike previous incarnations of this committee, the new committee members acknowledge that autism is an epidemic that urgently needs to be investigated. They also understand the impact of autism on the lives of those affected and the people who love them.

For the autism community, Kennedy’s new committee reflects a strong turn toward meaningful change.

Past iterations of the committee focused on steering research funding dollars to genetic studies which have yet to yield consequential information on the causes of autism. Membership was dominated by people from organizations that emphasized “autism awareness” and early diagnosis but devoted precious little attention to the dramatic increase in autism over the past twenty-five years.

The IACC’s mission is to provide advice and recommendations to Secretary Kennedy regarding federal activities related to autism. The mission includes facilitating the exchange of information on, and coordination of, Autism Spectrum Disorder activities among member agencies and organizations. Moreover, it includes increasing public understanding of member agencies’ programs, policies, and research by providing a public forum related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The IACC also ensures that a wide range of ideas and perspectives are represented and discussed with the public. In a decision that reflects true inclusion, Caden Larson, a non-speaking adult with autism, and Daniel Keely, a high school senior with autism, have both been selected to the committee. Larson is in college, studying mathematics; he will participate in committee meetings using a spelling board.

Diagnosed at age three with autism, severe intellectual disabilities, and vision loss, Keely began speaking for the first time in second grade. Keely shared his personal journey in Richard Frye’s book The Folate Fix, published in March 2025.

The committee will reconvene in 2026 to begin a new session under the Autism CARES Act of 2024. A portion of each IACC meeting is reserved for public comment. Information about each meeting, including the minutes, video, and slides, is posted on the meetings page.

As Kennedy notes, members of the IACC are people who have children with autism, have advocated for people with autism, have treated and provided services to people with autism, have investigated environmental causes of autism and have stood against those who denied the autism epidemic.

In addition to Keely and Larson, committee members are listed below.

• Sylvia Fogel, M.D., is an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a practicing psychiatrist and advocate whose work applies systems biology and family-informed perspectives to advance care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-occurring medical conditions.

• Daniel Rossignol, M.D., FAAFP, is a board-certified family physician, clinician-researcher, and advocates advancing care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-occurring medical conditions using personalized, system-biology approaches.

• Elizabeth Mumper, M.D., is the founder and CEO of Rimland Center for Integrative Medicine and a board-certified pediatrician. She has served as medical director of the Autism Research Institute and earned awards for her contributions to pediatrics, special needs treatment, and autism research.

• John Rodakis is the Founder and President of N of One: Autism Research Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to identifying and supporting research breakthroughs, including human clinical trials, in the biological understanding and treatment of autism. Dissatisfied with the lack of answers medicine had following his son’s diagnosis of severe autism, Rodakis has spent over a decade working to find answers.

• Elena Monarch, Ph.D., is the CEO and neuropsychologist of the Lyme and PANS Treatment Center in Hingham, Massachusetts. Dr. Monarch has conducted NIH-funded research into biopsychosocial interventions, seeing patients as a neuropsychologist and as a psychotherapist.

• Laura Cellini has more than 25 years of successful legislative experience, combined with the lived perspective of guiding her son from severe regressive autism to a magna cum laude college graduate. She has co-authored and championed numerous laws on autism, immunodeficiency, and neuroimmune conditions.

• Jennifer Philips is a parent and advocate dedicated to advancing autism research and improving quality of life for those with autism. Striving to identify impactful solutions efficiently and effectively.

• John Gilmore, M.P.P., is the founder and executive director of the Autism Action Network, which informs and mobilizes its over 100,000 subscribers. Gilmore’s advocacy has led to the passage of autism equity and non-discrimination legislation as well as New York’s banning the use of thimerosal in vaccines intended for pregnant women and children.

• Elizabeth Bonker is a national Autism advocate who types to communicate. Bonker serves as the Executive Director of Communication 4 ALL and was a past co-chair of the Autism Taskforce of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities.

• Lisa Wiederlight, M.P.P., is the mother of a young adult with autism and multiple co-occurring medical conditions. In 2018, Wiederlight’s advocacy led to the passage of the Kevin and Avonte’s Law, legislation created to protect children with autism or other developmental disabilities who wander away.

• Toby Rogers, Ph.D., M.P.P., is a Fellow at the Brownstone Institute for Social and Economic Research where he writes and speaks about the political economy of health, corruption in the pharmaceutical industry, and the regulatory changes necessary to stop the epidemics of chronic illness in children. Rogers recently presented his research at a hearing of the U.S. Senate, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. His doctoral thesis, “The Political Economy of Autism,” explores the regulatory history of five classes of toxicants that increase autism risk.

• Walter Zahorodny, Ph.D., is an associate professor of pediatrics at Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Zahorodny has served children with autism and their families for three decades, to secure diagnoses, interventions, and treatments. In addition, for over 20 years, in concert with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Zahorodny directed the New Jersey Autism Study, to establish and maintain population-based autism monitoring in this key region.

• Bill Oldham is an investor, consultant, philanthropist, and recognized leader in healthcare and technology. He founded the Thought Leadership and Innovation Foundation (TLI), a non-profit focused on driving innovation in health and education.

• Honey Rinicella is the Executive Director of the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs (MAPS), a national nonprofit advancing physician education and clinical capacity to care for individuals with autism and complex medical needs across the lifespan.

• Krystal Higgins is the Executive Director of the National Autism Association (NAA), a national nonprofit focused on meeting the most urgent needs of the Autism community.

• Ginger Taylor, M.S., is a parent advocate and former family therapist with long-standing involvement in autism-related policy and family advocacy. Her work has been shaped by her son’s autism diagnosis and associated medical challenges, which led her to focus on parental rights, informed consent, and access to healthcare services for affected children.

• Lisa Ackerman is the co-founder of The Autism Community in Action (TACA), a nationally recognized organization supporting families affected by autism across the United States. She established TACA in 2000 after receiving an autism diagnosis for her two½-year-old son and seeking community-based resources.

• Tracy Slepcevic is a nationally recognized autism advocate, nonprofit founder, U.S. Air Force veteran, integrative health practitioner, and bestselling author of Warrior Mom: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Her Son with Autism.

• Katie Sweeney is a long-time autism and disability advocate focused on access, inclusion, and participation in community life, with particular attention to the arts. Her advocacy is informed by her experience as the parent of two sons whose lives have followed different paths, including one who serves as a Naval Flight Officer in the United States Navy and another who is a profoundly autistic, non-speaking adult.