Research Team
Lisa Croen, PhD, is a senior research scientist at the Division of Research (DOR), Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), and the director of the Kaiser Permanente Autism Research Program. Her research interests include the epidemiology of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, environmental exposures and gene/environment interaction, and the delivery of health services to Autistic individuals across the life span. Currently, Dr. Croen is the co-principal investigator at Kaiser Permanente of the NIH-funded ECHO study, principal investigator of several NIH-funded studies including Early Markers for Autism study (EMA) and Immune and Metabolic markers during Pregnancy and Child Neurodevelopment (IMPaCT), and site principal investigator on several large federally funded autism studies including the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), the Autism Centers of Excellence ACTION Network, and the ECHO ASD-ER study. In collaboration with clinical colleagues, she is conducting mixed methods studies to evaluate autism treatments at KPNC, the transition from pediatric to adult healthcare among Autistic KPNC patients, barriers and facilitators of health care service use among Latino families affected by autism, and the health status and healthcare utilization of Autistic adults. Dr. Croen received her master’s degree in public health and her doctorate in epidemiology, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
Biosketch
Publications
Jennifer Ames, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the Division of Research and the assistant director of the Kaiser Permanente Autism Research Program. She specializes in the epidemiology of autism, health services research in Autistic children and adults, and children’s environmental health. The goals of her research are two-fold: 1) The first goal seeks to improve the delivery of health services to Autistic people across the lifespan. She currently leads studies focused on enhancing the transition from pediatric to adult care for Autistic youth and improving access to reproductive health care services in Autistic youth and adults. 2) The second goal of her research, funded by a K99/R00 pathway to independence award from NIEHS, is to understand how genetic and environmental factors may interact during the prenatal period and influence autistic traits and health outcomes. Dr. Ames is also a co-investigator on the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study and on the NIH Autism Center of Excellence: Combining advances in Genomics and Environmental science to accelerate Actionable Research and practice in ASD (GEARs) Network. Dr. Ames holds a PhD in epidemiology from the University of California Berkeley, a master’s of science in environmental health from the Boston University School of Public Health, and a bachelor’s in history and science from Harvard University.
Maria Massolo, PhD, is a senior manager for the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. She is responsible for the management of the Autism Research Program which she joined in 2008, and oversees its active research portfolio. She conducts qualitative research for mixed-methods studies, and is particularly interested in the experiences of Latino parents of children with ASD. She received her master’s degree in folklore and a doctorate in anthropology, both from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her undergraduate studies in Spanish and has a Certificate as Spanish/English Interpreter from California State University East Bay. Prior to working with the Autism Research Program, Dr. Massolo worked with the Division of Research Perinatal Research Unit on studies of prematurity, vaccination, and neonatal infection.
Yinge Qian, PhD, is a data consultant at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.
Cathleen Yoshida, MS, is a data consultant at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.
Hilda Cerros, MPH, is a research project manager for the Kaiser Permanente Autism Research Program. She joined our team as a research assistant for the EARLI study (Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation) and is currently the project coordinator for IMPaCT, and the ECHO ASD-ER study (ECHO Autism Spectrum Disorders- Enriched Risk) among other studies. She earned her Master of Public Health from the University of San Francisco and a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior from the University of California, Davis. Prior to working with the Autism Research Program, Ms. Cerros was a community health worker for the Sentinel Network Project, which aimed at detecting community health issues in underrepresented populations in the Sacramento area.
Contact information
Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
2000 Broadway, 2nd floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel. 1-866-279-0733
Fax. 510-891-3802
Email: autism.research@kp.org
