Doreen Granpeesheh

Doreen Granpeesheh (Persian: درّین گران‌پیشه, April 8, 1963) is an Iranian-American psychologist and board certified behavior analyst who works with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Doreen Granpeesheh
BornApril 8, 1963
Tehran, Iran
Alma materUCLA
Known forCenter for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
Scientific career
FieldsClinical psychology
Behavior analysis
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
ThesisThe effects of teaching common preschool games to autistic children on increasing peer interaction (1990)

Early life and career

Granpeesheh was born in Tehran, Iran in 1963. She earned a PhD in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),[1] where she worked with clinical psychologist Ole Ivar Lovaas on his 1987 study regarding applied behavior analysis.[2][3]

In 1990, Granpeesheh founded the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD).[4] The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm, acquired CARD in 2018. Granpeesheh and the management at CARD invested in the company alongside Blackstone,[5][6] and Granpeesheh remained the CEO until December 2019, when she was replaced by Anthony Kilgore and moved into the role of executive director.[7] She resigned from the board in 2022 and retained a minority stake in the company.[8] CARD filed for bankruptcy in June 2023 and Granpeesheh offered $25 million to buy the company back from Blackstone.[9][8]

Granpeesheh is also the founder of Autism Care and Treatment Today!, a nonprofit organization which provides financial support to families unable to pay for autism treatment.[2]

In 2008, Granpeesheh produced the documentary Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back, which depicts the progress of four children throughout autism treatment.[2]

In 2014, Granpeesheh published Evidence-Based Treatment for Children with Autism: The CARD Model[10] with co-editors Jonathan Tarbox, Adel Najdowski, and Julie Kornack.

In 2016, Granpeesheh participated in Andrew Wakefield's Vaxxed, a pseudoscientific propaganda film which pushes his widely debunked theory that the MMR vaccine causes autism.[11] Granpeesheh features prominently in the film,[12] falsely claiming that autism is caused by children "not detoxifying from the vaccinations" and can be treated with detoxification.[13][14][15][16] Granpeesheh had previously worked for Wakefield at his clinic Thoughtful House.[14][17][13]

Notable awards received by Granpeesheh include the George Winokur Clinical Research Paper Award from the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists[18] and the Wendy F. Miller Professional of the Year Award from the Autism Society of America.[2]

References
  1. "Dr. Granpeesheh on Autism Diagnosis". Autism Network. 2022-12-28.
  2. "Doreen Granpeesheh". U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran. 1 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  3. "Families cling to hope of autism 'recovery'". Los Angeles Times. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  4. "Our Founder". Center for Autism & Related Disorders. 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  5. "Blackstone to Buy Center for Autism and Related Disorders". Wall Street Journal. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  6. Yuk, Pan Kwan (13 April 2018). "Blackstone acquires autism care specialist CARD". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  7. Bryant, Bailey (2020-10-22). "Bolstered by Recent Tech Investments, CARD Gears Up for Growth in 2021". Behavioral Health Business. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  8. Biswas, Soma. "Blackstone-Owned Autism Treatment Provider Files for Bankruptcy". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  9. Knauth, Dietrich (2023-06-12). "Autism treatment center files for bankruptcy, plans sale to founder". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  10. Granpeesheh, D., Tarbox, J., Najdowski, A., & Kornack, J. (2014). "Evidence-based treatment for children with autism: The CARD model". New York, NY: Elsevier.
  11. Leydon, Joe (2016-04-03). "Film Review: 'Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  12. Tayag, Yasmin. "I Went to a Morning Showing of Andrew Wakefield's 'Vaxxed' and Made Weird New Friends". Inverse. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  13. Berman, Jonathan M. (2020-09-08). Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-35955-9.
  14. "Reviewing Andrew Wakefield's VAXXED: Antivaccine propaganda at its most pernicious | Science-Based Medicine". sciencebasedmedicine.org. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  15. qtd. Metwally, Ebsam (November 2, 2020). Vaccine Hesitancy Online : A Rhetorical Analysis Through Postmodern Narratives. (University of Ottawa, Canada) pg. 75
  16. Gøtzsche, Peter C. (2020-02-06). Vaccines: truth, lies and controversy. Art People. ISBN 978-87-7036-893-3.
  17. "Dr Doreen Granpeesheh". 2009-12-20. Archived from the original on 20 December 2009. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  18. "George Winokur Clinical Research Paper Award – AACP". Retrieved 2023-05-15.
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