Rebecca Muhle

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University

Rebecca is a physician-scientist with a special interest in autism spectrum disorders. She conducted work on the mechanistic basis of pediatric acute promelocytic leukemia (APL) and infection-induced preterm labor prior to joining the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. There she completed her thesis with Dr. David Fidock examining the molecular genetic mechanisms of malaria var gene expression and pathogenesis. The development of molecular and genetic tools to elucidate the mechanisms of pediatric disease pathology was highly rewarding, and these experiences motivated her current research goals. On the clinical wards, she found the psychiatric care of children and adolescents to be very gratifying, particularly the impact of developmental disorders on physical and mental health. This contributed to her desire to better understand genetic factors contributing to ASD, and resulted in a review of the genetics of ASD with Isabelle Rapin, M.D., a pioneering figure in pediatric neurology. She entered the Solnit Integrated Adult and Child Psychiatry Research Training Program at the Yale University Child Study Center to simultaneously complete clinical training in adult and child psychiatry while also engaged in academic research. Rebecca is now Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University and continues to collaborate with the Noonan lab. Rebecca is also a SFARI Bridge to Independence Fellow.