Jenny Mai Phan, Ph.D.
[Photo of a southeastern Asian woman with short highlighted brown hair smiling and wearing a polka dotted blouse in front of a tree]
On June 2024, I joined George Mason University as Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and as Assistant Director of Community Engagement at the Center for Advancing Systems Science and Bioengineering Innovation (CASSBI).
In 2022-2024, I completed a Research Postdoctoral Fellowship (NINDS-funded T32) in the Center for Autism at the Children's National Hospital.
In 2020-2022 and at the near initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I completed a two-year fellowship training program at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Postdoctoral Fellow (NICHD-funded T32).
I serve on the Department of Health and Human Services' Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) as a Public Member (2021-2024) representing on the committee as an autistic self-advocate, mother, and researcher.
My other appointments/volunteer services include:
a) Executive Co-Vice Chair on the Psychology Interest Network (PIN) at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
b) Communications Director of the Autistic & Neurodivergent Scholars Working for Equity in Research (ANSWER) at the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)
c) Early Career Committee Member and DEI Committee Member on the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 33
d) DEI Committee Member on the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Group (ASDD SIG)
e) Board Member on the SPARK for Autism DEI Advisory Board.
My interdisciplinary research trainings include Psychology, Applied Biopsychology, and Human Development and Family Studies. I study the interplay between stress response systems, pubertal development, and mental health. I also study biobehavioral health and physiological attunement, including stress response processes between people. I am interested in studying the adolescence experience of neurodiverse youths as they transition through puberty and how it relates to mental health. I am also interested in early puberty and sexual health education strategies and its impact on neurodiverse and gender diverse youths' mental health and relationship with their caregiver.
I have a B.S. in psychology at the University of New Orleans and a M.S. and Ph.D. in human development and family studies at Iowa State University.
If you're looking for a guest lecturer or speaker for an event, you can check out the Events and CV pages to learn about the kinds of talks, lectures, and presentations that I've given. You can also contact me at jmphan@jennymaiphan.com.
Adolescence is a transformative developmental period marked by significant cognitive, social, and emotional changes impacting adaptive functioning and well-being into adulthood. For autistic individuals, this period is particularly complex, yet our knowledge on adolescence remains limited compared to research on early childhood. This gap in our understanding has profound implications for autistic youth now (e.g., the development of nuanced and effective interventions that cater to the needs of autistic adolescents) and in the future (e.g., how autistic adolescents navigate the transition to adulthood).
This Research Topic seeks to address the urgent need for a deeper understanding of adolescence in the context of autism. The current dearth of research into this critical developmental stage limits our ability to design effective interventions, support systems, and treatments that meet the evolving needs of autistic adolescents. This Research Topic aims to facilitate a paradigm shift in autism research by promoting participatory approaches that directly involve autistic adolescents. Recent advances suggest that incorporating the perspectives of autistic individuals can provide new insights into their lived experiences, including topics such as intellectual disability, LGBTQIA+ identities, puberty and menstrual health, and mental health challenges like anxiety and suicidality. By highlighting the importance of adolescence, we seek to build a foundation for improved educational and clinical practices that foster independence, resilience, and self-efficacy among autistic youth.
We invite contributions that focus on the multifaceted aspects of adolescence in autism. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
● Cognitive, social, and emotional development during adolescence in autism
● Participatory research methods, or other innovative methods that center or involve autistic adolescent voices
● Youth self-advocacy
● Intersectional identities and the experiences of autistic adolescents, including those with racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, intellectual disability, LGBTQIA+ identities, and co-occurring mental and physical health conditions.
● Experiences of stigma, discrimination, and minority stress in autistic adolescents
● Autistic identity development during adolescence
● The impact and experiences of puberty, menstrual health, and/or sexual health among autistic youth
● Transitioning into adulthood, including educational, healthcare, and vocational challenges and experiences
● School experiences
● Novel interventions and support systems designed to address the unique needs of autistic adolescents
● Family systems and/or family relationships in the context of autistic adolescence
● Peer and/or romantic relationships and friendships
● Bullying and cyberbullying
● Substance and alcohol use in autistic adolescents
● Use and impact of technology and social media in autistic adolescents
We welcome a variety of manuscript types, including original research, reviews, theoretical papers, methodological papers, perspective articles, community case study, and case studies that advance understanding of adolescent development in autism. In addition, we encourage submissions from early career researchers.
Keywords: Transition, Autism, Adolescence, Development, Participatory Research
Manuscript summary submission deadline 01 April 2025
Manuscript submission deadline 17 August 2025
[The roles of "Topic Editors" and "Topic Coordinators are highlighted.
Under the "Topic Editors" heading, there are two individuals:
Jessica Greenlee from Lafayette College, Easton, United States, shown with a smiling photo and glasses.
Jenny Mai Phan from George Mason University, Fairfax, United States, depicted with a smiling photo and wavy hair.
Under the "Topic Coordinators" heading, there is one individual:
Lauren Baczewski from Children’s National Hospital, Washington D.C., United States, shown smiling in a photo wearing a striped shirt with a green outdoor background.]
[Peer-reviewed journal cover page titled Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Editor-in-Chief David Beversdorf]
Our focus for this issue is evaluating the role of stress and stressors in the context of an evolutionary-stress framework and the adaptive calibration model (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068241/) in understanding autism etiology and co-occurring health conditions.
Traditional medical models tend to focus on specific symptoms or use a deficit framework. There is a wide breadth of scientific investigations focused on stress impact on parents and caregivers of autistic individuals; however, stress research attention on autistic individuals is limited. As scientific knowledge is growing in the area of stress and autism, research is needed on the impact of stress on autistic individuals and the observed tradeoffs compensating for adaptive health outcomes. In order to better understand stress impact on autism etiology and health outcomes, an integrative approach to investigating mechanisms of stressors and risk factors as well as protective factors provide an in-depth understanding of adaptive and maladaptive outcomes.
In broadening the scope of the impact of stress on autism and co-occurring health conditions, we aim to expand the field’s knowledge to consider both risk and protective factors that contribute to autistic phenotypes (e.g., social reciprocity, repetitive behaviors, special interests and intense focus, echolalia, sensory responsivity) and understand co-occurring health symptoms. Additionally, we invite authors to consider measurements of perceived stress and objective stress in their original research on autistic individuals.
We are particularly interested in papers that explore the following topics:
The relationship between stress, inflammation, and autism
The use of biomarkers (e.g., hormones, antibodies, growth factors, psychological stress, nutrition analytes) and other measures to understand the multidimensional aspects of stress and how they relate to autism
The potential application of the evolutionary stress framework to serve as a model to better understand stress adaptations and resiliencies across diverse populations and autistic phenotypes
Guest editors:
Jenny Mai Phan, Ph.D.
Lori Hogenkamp, B.S.
David Beversdorf, Ph.D.
Connect with me on other apps/websites:
Web Accessibility: Text-to-speech voice reader can be used by downloading an extension on your web browser called Read Aloud. This link is for Chrome web users. This link is for Mozilla Firefox web users. For Safari web users, this link is to WebOutLoud.
I am constantly learning new and efficient ways to improve web accessibility for all users. I will gladly take suggestions via email. Please contact me at jmphan@jennymaiphan.com.