Toni M. Whitaker, MD Appointed as University of Tennessee Boling Center LEND Director

January 30, 2017

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center's Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities LEND Program is delighted to welcome Toni M. Whitaker, MD as its new LEND Director. Dr. Whitaker, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, has been a Boling Center LEND faculty member since 2001. She has served as Tennessee's Ambassador for the Autism Learn the Signs. Act Early. project sponsored by the CDC, HRSA/MCHB, AUCD and AMCHP since its inception in 2011. She is an essential member of Tennessee's Autism Summit Team (2009-present) which has developed the Tennessee Autism Plan that seeks to organize comprehensive and coordinated services and supports for people with autism spectrum disorders across the lifespan. Dr. Whitaker is project leader working with the American Academy of Pediatrics in developing individual and team-based Quality Improvement projects for developmental and autism surveillance, screening, and referral as part of the AAP's Maintenance of Certification process. This month she will be joining the faculty for the AAP's Learning Collaborative Project Advisory Committee for their new Screening in Practices initiative. Dr. Whitaker replaces Frederick B. Palmer, MD who is retiring after serving as LEND Director since 1994.