Maureen Durkin

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Department of Population Health Sciences

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Curriculum Vitae

Biography

Maureen Durkin received her undergraduate degree and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and her MPH and DrPH degrees in Epidemiology from Columbia University. Her research interests include the epidemiology, prevention, antecedents, and consequences of neurodevelopmental disabilities and childhood injuries, both globally and within the United States. She has collaborated in the development of cross-cultural methods for screening for developmental disabilities and methods for surveillance of childhood injuries, and has directed international studies of the prevalence and causes of neurodevelopmental disabilities in low-income countries. She has also directed a cohort study of neuropsychological outcomes of neonatal brain injuries associated with preterm birth and with metabolic disorders detected on newborn screening, and is currently a Waisman Center Investigator, Principal Investigator on the Wisconsin Surveillance of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities System, and Principal Investigator of the Wisconsin Study to Explore Early Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Selected Publications:

Pokoski OM, Furnier SM, Gangnon RE, Howerton EM, Kirby AV, Protho T, Schweizer ML, Travers BG, Durkin MS. Prevalence of Motor Milestone Delays in Autistic Children. JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Apr 14;179(7):756-64. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11997849.

Furnier SM, Ellis Weismer S, Rubenstein E, Gangnon R, Rosenberg S, Nadler C, Wiggins LD, Durkin MS. Using adaptive behavior scores to convey level of functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from the Study to Explore Early Development. Autism. 2024 May;28(5):1135-1149. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10884350.

Shaw KA, McArthur D, Bilder DA, Hughes MM, Rose CE, Bakian AV, Durkin MS, Fitzgerald RT, Howerton EM, Ladd-Acosta C, Lopez M, Pas ET, Zahorodny W, DiRienzo M, Patrick ME, Warren Z, Washington A, Hudson A, Pettygrove S, Shenouda J, Maenner MJ. Mortality Among Youth and Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, or Cerebral Palsy. JAMA Pediatr. 2026 Apr 1;180(4):402-412. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12887840.

Furnier SM, Gangnon R, Durkin MS. Trends Over Time in the Prevalence of Autism by Adaptive and Intellectual Functioning Levels. Autism Res. 2026 Jan;19(1):e70167. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12853238.

Shaw KA, Williams S, Patrick ME, Valencia-Prado M, Durkin MS, Howerton EM, Ladd-Acosta CM, Pas ET, Bakian AV, Bartholomew P, Nieves-Muñoz N, Sidwell K, Alford A, Bilder DA, DiRienzo M, Fitzgerald RT, Furnier SM, Hudson AE, Pokoski OM, Shea L, Tinker SC, Warren Z, Zahorodny W, Agosto-Rosa H, Anbar J, Chavez KY, Esler A, Forkner A, Grzybowski A, Agib AH, Hallas L, Lopez M, Magaña S, Nguyen RHN, Parker J, Pierce K, Protho T, Torres H, Vanegas SB, Vehorn A, Zhang M, Andrews J, Greer F, Hall-Lande J, McArthur D, Mitamura M, Montes AJ, Pettygrove S, Shenouda J, Skowyra C, Washington A, Maenner MJ. Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 Sites, United States, 2022. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2025 Apr 17;74(2):1-22. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC12011386.