Margaret Souders is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennslyvania School of Nursing. When Dr. Souders became an advanced practice nurse, nurses were not direct care providers for neurodivergent children nor did they lead related research. Today, as a direct care provider in the Autism Integrated Care Program, she leads and translates cutting edge science into quality care for children and their families. As the first nurse practitioner in Child Development (2000), she developed an innovative care model that integrates diagnostic and comprehensive care to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As the first nurse practitioner in the Clinical Genetics Center (2010), she serves as a co-investigator of a study using dysmorphologies to phenotype children with ASD to identify distinct subsets of ASD for tailoring treatment.

Dr. Souders is recognized on a state level for her clinical expertise and was invited to participate in the Philadelphia Autism Project (between 2014 - 2015), led by Councilman Dennis O’Brien, to establish best practices; serve on the Executive Board for the Center for Autism (2010-2017) for minority preschoolers; and contribute to the Pennsylvania Psychopharmacology Guidelines. Today, her research has a global impact through numerous publications, presentations, and via participationin special interest group workshops at the International Society for Autism Research and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Meeting and Biennial International 22q11.2DS Conference.