Rujuta Wilson, MD

Rujuta Wilson is a pediatric neurologist and physician scientist with advanced clinical and research training in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental and neurogenetic disorders. Her research program develops and utilizes deep quantitative and clinical phenotyping to identify biomarkers and outcome measures that improve early diagnosis and inform natural history studies and clinical trials in ASD and genetic neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work has a strong focus on motor dysfunction, a highly prevalent and impairing aspect of ASD and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) that can impact adaptive function, communication, and cognition. She serves as Co-Investigator for the Translational Clinical Core of the UCLA Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC), lead the Motor Phenotyping Core for the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment, and am the Director of Research for the UCLA University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (Tarjan Center).

Her team has received NIH and foundation funded research to develop and validate wearable-sensor methodologies and computer vision based motor phenotyping tools that can be utilized for individuals across the full spectrum of disability, including those with severe intellectual disability, minimal verbal abilities, and complex neurological or medical conditions—populations that have historically been excluded from ASD research. Additionally, they have created novel quantitative metrics of infant motor function that advance early detection of autism and provide transdiagnostic tools for studying infants at risk for a range of NDDs.

Central to her work is a commitment to patient-centered research. She has established and maintained close partnerships with patients, families, and parent advisory groups to inform study design, recruitment, and dissemination. These collaborations ensure that our research efforts are grounded in community priorities and address the needs of individuals with ASD and related NDDs.