Autism Consortium names Tish Tanski as Executive Director
Appointment signals Consortium’s accelerated effort to transform autism research, treatment and care
Ms. Tanski comes to the Consortium from the Maine Governor’s Office of Health Policy and Finance, where she developed, monitored and evaluated state-level health policy, particularly Maine’s State Health Plan. Representing the Governor’s policy positions, she collaborated with cabinet level officials, interest groups, local government, businesses and community organizations. A major emphasis of her work was to build coalitions and collaborations of diverse interests to improve patient care and public health.
“The Board of Directors is particularly pleased with the diverse skill set Tish brings to our efforts at the Autism Consortium,” said Peter Barrett, President of the Autism Consortium Board of Directors. “She represents the perfect blending of leadership in research, practice and policy. First and foremost she is family- and patient-centric, which is critical to our mandate: partnering with families to improve care. She also brings enormous experience working with the scientific community and understands how to translate bench-side achievements into practical and tangible results. And, finally, her work on behalf of the State of Maine will make her a powerful partner to our Consortium member institutions as we seek ways to inform the policy discourse for the State of Massachusetts.”Tanski understands the challenges autism patients and their families face: “I know from personal experience how a family can struggle to cope with autism. As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders increases alarmingly, more families face concerns about their child’s future. Even if a family can find good medical care early, the system is fragmented—it puts the burden of accessing resources on an already over-burdened family.” Her goal as Executive Director of the Autism Consortium, she continues, is “to put families first, and focus the talent and commitment of the world’s best biomedical minds on accelerating new ways to diagnose and treat autism spectrum disorders. Families matter, results matter, speed matters.”
Tanski previously held positions as President of T2 Consulting, providing management implementation and oversight consulting for nonprofit strategy and development; Senior Policy Analyst at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, an independent center in the University of Maine; and Director of Institutional Relations at The Jackson Laboratory, a genetics research institution. At the Jackson Laboratory, Tanski founded the Maine Biomedical Research Coalition, uniting five independent biomedical research organizations and attracting $18 million in new state funding for biomedical research; provided leadership to secure $24 million in philanthropic support; launched a new initiative to secure funding from pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms; served as primary representative and spokesperson with numerous constituencies, including donors, legislators, local, state and government officials, media and public. She has also served in a variety of executive, policy and analysis roles in Michigan and Maine, improving economic growth and health care delivery.
About the Autism Consortium
The Autism Consortium is a collaboration of some of the world’s leading clinicians and researchers dedicated to supporting families—immediately improving care and developing new therapies. The Consortium was founded in 2006 by a visionary group in Boston who recognized that the problem of autism was too great to solve piecemeal, too urgent to address incrementally. Its integrated clinical and research program leverages the world-class strengths of 70 leading scientists and physicians, breaking down barriers that so often stand between the patients and families, and the support they need. The Consortium’s exceptional network includes departments from major medical centers and major research institutions in the Boston area. Consortium members include: Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston University, the Broad Institute, Children’s Hospital, The Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Cambridge Health Alliance, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Visit www.autismconsortium.org to learn more.