Olivia Pokoski, PhD, MPH | Morse Alumni

Morse Scholar Alumni 2022-2025

Current Position

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About

Olivia is an epidemiologist with a strong focus on child development, currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on autism and other developmental disabilities, with a particular interest in the relationship between motor skills and developmental outcomes. She is passionate about using large datasets and epidemiological methods to better understand early predictors of well-being in autistic youth.

With her background in public health and analytic expertise, she hopes to inform early identification of autism and intervention strategies that support children and families. She has experience with working on the public health surveillance of autism and has led and collaborated on several multidisciplinary studies published by top tier peer reviewed journals. She is committed to translating research into actionable insights that can improve systems of care for autistic individuals and promote health equity.

Education

2019	BS	Public Health	University of Kentucky
2020	MPH	Public Health	University of Kentucky
2020	PhD		University of Wisconsin-Madison
2022–2025	Morse Scholar	Major Professor:	Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Links

	https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CxDhuV8AAAAJ&hl=en
	https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-pokoski-798a53160/

Selected Publications

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

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

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

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

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