Joanne Florio Siegel, ACSW, LCSW, co-director of the Rose F. Kennedy University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, was recently honored with the Gordon Richins Award for Leadership and Advocacy by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). The prestigious award recognizes her exceptional leadership and advocacy in promoting the participation of individuals with disabilities and their families.

Ms. Siegel holds a faculty appointment as principal educator in the department of pediatrics and has been teaching in the department of bioethics since 2018.

Ms. Siegel has been instrumental in shaping clinical practices and community education within Montefiore Einstein’s department of pediatrics, including enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality through initiatives and programs such as CERC’s Self-Advocacy Program and the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, which provides interdisciplinary graduate-level training to future leaders in the field.

She played a vital role in integrating self-advocates into the UCEDD consumer advisory committee, including them in presentations to Einstein medical students, and ensuring that their voices guide research, clinical care, policy, and advocacy efforts at Montefiore Einstein. Her leadership extends to mentoring self-advocates and parents and fostering their development into faculty roles within training grant programs.

She also served as the principal investigator for several key initiatives, and led the New York State VaxFacts program, which promotes COVID-19 vaccination education for families of children with developmental disabilities.

Ms. Siegel currently serves as president of the Bronx Developmental Disabilities Council and holds positions on several city, state, and national boards.