Morse Scholar Alumni 2022-2025
Current Position
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Epidemiology of Developmental Disabilities
UCEDD, UW-Madison
Contact
About
Olivia Pokoski, PhD, MPH is a postdoctoral research associate studying the epidemiology of developmental disabilities under the mentorship of Dr. Maureen Durkin. Broadly, Olivia’s research interests include the application of large datasets to advance the epidemiologic study of developmental disabilities, autism, and maternal and child health. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2025. Her dissertation examined the association between motor and social skills of autistic youth. Before pursuing her doctorate, Olivia attended the University of Kentucky, where she earned a Bachelors and Masters of Public Health in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Education
| 2019 | BPH | Public Health | University of Kentucky, Lexington |
| 2020 | MPH | Public Health | University of Kentucky, Lexington |
| 2025 | PhD | Epidemiology | University of Wisconsin Madison |
| 2022–2025 | Morse Scholar | Major Professor: Maureen Durkin, PhD, DrPh | Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
In the News
Selected Publications
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Pokoski, O. M., Furnier, S. M., Gangnon, R. E., Howerton, E. M., Kirby, A. V., Protho, T., Schweizer, M. L., Travers, B. G., & Durkin, M. S. (2025). Prevalence of Motor Milestone Delays in Autistic Children. JAMA pediatrics, e250216. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.0216
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Shaw, K. A., Williams, S., Patrick, M. E., Valencia-Prado, M., Durkin, M. S., Howerton, E. M., Ladd-Acosta, C. M., Pas, E. T., Bakian, A. V., Bartholomew, P., Nieves-Muñoz, N., Sidwell, K., Alford, A., Bilder, D. A., DiRienzo, M., Fitzgerald, R. T., Furnier, S. M., Hudson, A. E., Pokoski, O. M., Shea, L., … Maenner, M. J. (2025). Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 Sites, United States, 2022. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002), 74(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss7402a1
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Pokoski, O. M., Crain, H. M., Furnier, S. M., Gangnon, R. E., Nadler, C., Moody, E. J., Pazol, K., Stanley, M. A., Wiggins, L. D., & Durkin, M. S. (2024). COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Behavioral and Emotional Health of Young Children With Autism. JAACAP open, 3(2), 268–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2024.02.006
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Pokoski, O. M., Crain, H., DiGuiseppi, C., Furnier, S. M., Moody, E. J., Nadler, C., Pazol, K., Sanders, J., Wiggins, L. D., & Durkin, M. S. (2024). Economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Frontiers in psychiatry, 15, 1342504. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1342504
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Shaw, K. A., Williams, S., Hughes, M. M., Warren, Z., Bakian, A. V., Durkin, M. S., Esler, A., Hall-Lande, J., Salinas, A., Vehorn, A., Andrews, J. G., Baroud, T., Bilder, D. A., Dimian, A., Galindo, M., Hudson, A., Hallas, L., Lopez, M., Pokoski, O., Pettygrove, S., … Maenner, M. J. (2023). Statewide county-level autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates-seven U.S. states, 2018. Annals of epidemiology, 79, 39–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.01.010