Dr. Julie Lounds Taylor is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and an investigator at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Lifespan Family Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A major focus of her research is on factors that promote a positive transition into adulthood for individuals with developmental disabilities, in particular autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Lounds Taylor has co-authored over 75 articles and book chapters in publications including the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Family Psychology, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, and Autism, among others.