Amy Ursitti, cofounder and secretary of Profound Autism Alliance, is personally connected to profound autism through her younger brother Jack, who was diagnosed with autism when he was two. He has served as her greatest inspiration in life so far, driving her to pursue research as an undergraduate at Emory University on pain and sensory sensitivity in adolescents with autism and to serve as the president of Emory Best Buddies. For two years after college, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Neuroimaging of Mind-Body Interaction and Treatment (NoMBIT) Lab, where her research continued to include individuals with autism. She is ecstatic to work with a team of collaborators who are committed to promoting the unique needs of those with profound autism, especially in the realms of scientific research and advocacy. She is currently a first year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and hopes to continue to improve the quality of life for those with profound autism in her career.
