Mayada Elsabbagh

Background

About Mayada Elsabbagh

Mayada Elsabbagh, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University and a Principal Investigator at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital). She is also a Research Scientist at the McGill University Health Centre, where her work is closely integrated with clinical services supporting autistic individuals and people with other neurodevelopmental conditions. Her research focuses on understanding the root causes of autism and mapping its developmental pathways across the lifespan. Her team studies how risk and protective factors interact to shape diverse outcomes, using developmental models that reflect the complexity of neurodevelopment. Her scientific contributions include the discovery of early brain function markers that precede behavioural signs of autism, as well as the development and scale-up of community-based interventions. Her research program combines clinical and behavioural assessment with innovative methods such as EEG, eye-tracking, and qualitative approaches that amplify first-person perspectives. The goal is to accelerate the translation of research into tangible improvements in care, inclusion, and quality of life. Prof. Elsabbagh has played a leading role in launching and directing collaborative research initiatives in Canada and internationally. She is Director of the Transforming Autism Care Consortium (TACC), a Quebec-based network supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec and community partners. She also serves as Program Director of the Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training (CanNRT) Platform, a national initiative supporting the next generation of researchers in neurodevelopment. In addition, Elsabbagh contributes to global efforts aimed at strengthening evidence-based practice and capacity building in underserved communities, in Canada and in low- and middle-income countries. This includes leadership of CST-Canada, a clinical trials platform for the World Health Organization’s Caregiver Skills Training (CST) Program, which integrates research, training, and international collaboration to expand access to community-based interventions.