Penn Postdocs in the News: Meghan Carey, Ph.D., awarded Eagles Autism Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
Penn Postdoctoral Fellow Meghan Carey receives Eagles Autism Foundation Fellowship to study hospitalization risk in autism
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Dr. Meghan Carey, a postdoctoral fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, has been awarded an Eagles Autism Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to support her research examining how community-based interventions may affect hospitalization risk among people with autism.
Dr. Carey earned her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health in 2024, following an M.S. in Epidemiology from Drexel and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Delaware. Prior to joining Penn, she conducted research at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, building extensive experience in autism and population health research.
At Penn, Dr. Carey is a T32 postdoctoral fellow at the Penn Center for Mental Health, where she works under the mentorship of David Mandell, Sc.D. She is also an Associate Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI). Her research focuses on factors affecting autistic young people as they transition into adulthood, including their experiences navigating mental health care and other systems of support.
Dr. Carey’s fellowship-supported project, “Estimating the Effects of Community-Based Interventions on Hospitalization Risk in Autism,” uses her expertise in epidemiology, quantitative methods, and large administrative datasets to examine whether community-based services may help reduce hospitalization risk among people with autism.
The Eagles Autism Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship provides two years of support for Dr. Medina’s research and continued development as an autism researcher.
Dr. Carey’s fellowship reflects Penn’s continued strength in interdisciplinary autism research spanning epidemiology, mental health services, population health, and community-based care.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Carey and her contributions to advancing research aimed at improving health and healthcare outcomes for people with autism.