Additional Titles & Roles
- Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences (Courtesy)
- Professor of Radiology
- Member, The Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
- Member, The Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences (DBBS), Neuroscience Program
Education & Training
- Fellowship: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2005
- Residency: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2003
- M.D.: Washington University in St Louis, 2000
- Ph.D.: Washington University in St Louis, 2000
- B.A.: Princeton University, 1990
Major Awards
- Castle Connolly Top Doctor™, 2021
- Recognition for Eggebrecht et al., 2020 (role: co-senior author): Autism Science Foundation’s “Research Recap”, 2020
- Recognition for Emerson et al., 2017 (role: co-senior author): Spectrum’s “Notable papers in autism research in 2017,” Autism Speaks’ “Top Ten 2017 Studies,” Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2017, and Autism Science Foundation’s “The Big News This Year: Biology Before Behavior”, 2017
- Judge for the 37th and 40th annual O’Leary Prize for Excellence in Neuroscience Research. Washington University School of Medicine, 2014, 2017
Areas of Clinical Interest
Dr. John Pruett, Jr. is a leading child psychiatrist specializing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a focus on early diagnosis and innovative research into the neuroscience of autism and social cognition. With an extensive background in both clinical practice and cutting-edge research, Dr. Pruett offers expertise in the early identification and treatment of ASD in children as young as one to three years old. Through his work, Dr. Pruett contributes to advancing autism science, bringing a compassionate and research-driven approach to his care for families navigating autism-related challenges. His commitment to improving the lives of children with ASD, alongside his leadership in autism research, positions him as an exceptional resource for both patients and the broader medical community.
Research Interests
-The neuroscience of ASD, social cognition, and comparative cognition
Recent Publications
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Statistical properties of functional connectivity MRI enrichment analysis in school-age autism research
for the IBIS Network, Apr 2025, In: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 72, 101534.
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Social and Quality-of-Life Impact of Refractive Surgery in Children With Developmental Disorders and Spectacle Nonadherence
Strelnikov, J., Zdonczyk, A., Pruett, J. R., Culican, S., Tychsen, L., Gordon, M., Marrus, N., Todorov, A. & Reynolds, M., Jan 2025, In: American journal of ophthalmology. 269, p. 20-29 10 p.
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Parent attitudes towards predictive testing for autism in the first year of life
Washington, A. M., Mercer, A. H., Burrows, C. A., Dager, S. R., Elison, J. T., Estes, A. M., Grzadzinski, R., Lee, C., Piven, J., Pruett, J. R., Shen, M. D., Wilfond, B., Wolff, J., Zwaigenbaum, L. & MacDuffie, K. E., Dec 2024, In: Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders. 16, 1, 47.
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Brain volumes, cognitive, and adaptive skills in school-age children with Down syndrome
for the IBIS Network, Dec 2024, In: Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders. 16, 1, 70.
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Mapping neural correlates of biological motion perception in autistic children using high-density diffuse optical tomography
Yang, D., Svoboda, A. M., George, T. G., Mansfield, P. K., Wheelock, M. D., Schroeder, M. L., Rafferty, S. M., Sherafati, A., Tripathy, K., Burns-Yocum, T., Forsen, E., Pruett, J. R., Marrus, N. M., Culver, J. P., Constantino, J. & Eggebrecht, A. T., Dec 2024, In: Molecular Autism. 15, 1, 35.