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Women in Medicine: Grace Gengoux, PhD, BCBA-D

During September, we proudly feature members of our department for Women in Medicine Month!

Why did you pursue a career in medicine?

I decided to become a psychologist because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and I was excited about the emerging science showing how naturalistic behavioral treatments could substantially improve quality of life for children with ASD and their families.

What is your work focused on?

I am passionate about solving two particularly difficult problems in our field, one related to development of increasingly effective and ecologically valid treatments for the debilitating social deficits in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the other related to system-level interventions to improve well-being and professional fulfillment for my clinical colleagues and trainees.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

I enjoy trying to solve problems no one has solved before. I love working with my colleagues to develop novel intervention approaches and finding ways to systematically measure the effect of our work on things that really matter to real people. I feel inspired when we're able to help a child make a new friend or help a colleague find more fulfillment or meaning in their work.

What advice would you give yourself when you started in the field, knowing what you know now?

Your passion projects have potential to bring particular joy and fulfillment, and that's where you'll do your best work. Pay attention to the things that really excite you at work and keep doing more of those things.

Grace Gengoux, PhD, BCBA-D

Women in Medicine

We asked some of the #StanfordWIM in our department to share their stories - why they pursued a career in medicine, what their work focuses on, what the most fulfilling parts of their work are, and what advice they would give themselves when they started in the field. Hear what they have to say!