Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH, MPH

Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. As the Assistant Director of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, she works to promote the well-being of individuals with developmental disabilities through research and evaluation, community services, training and technical assistance. She is also a research scientist and who specializes in maternal and child health, public health sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Some of her work has focused on clinical trials and the translation of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. She researches maternal and child health disparities and health outcomes in vulnerable populations, including at the population level, such as children with developmental disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), children involved with the child welfare system and children with obesity. She has also served as PI, co-investigator or director on NIH, CTSI, ACL, HRSA and MCHB-funded grants. As the Audiology Program Director for the California Leadership in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program, she focuses on enhancing the interdisciplinary training of pediatric audiologists to promote positive health outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She also mentors Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellows, pediatric residents, public health graduate students and trainees from a range of other health-related disciplines in research. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, reviews and book chapters. She is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.