Doreen Granpeesheh (, April 8, 1963) is an Iranian-American psychologist and board certified behavior analyst who works with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Early life and career
Granpeesheh was born in Tehran, Iran in 1963. She earned a PhD in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she worked with clinical psychologist Ole Ivar Lovaas on his 1987 study regarding applied behavior analysis.
In 1990, Granpeesheh founded the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). The Blackstone Group, a private equity firm, acquired CARD in 2018. Granpeesheh and the management at CARD invested in the company alongside Blackstone, and Granpeesheh remained the CEO until December 2019, when she was replaced by Anthony Kilgore and moved into the role of executive director. She resigned from the board in 2022 and retained a minority stake in the company. CARD filed for bankruptcy in June 2023 and Granpeesheh offered $25 million to buy the company back from Blackstone.
Granpeesheh is also the founder of Autism Care and Treatment Today!, a nonprofit organization which provides financial support to families unable to pay for autism treatment.
In 2008, Granpeesheh produced the documentary Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back, which depicts the progress of four children throughout autism treatment.
In 2014, Granpeesheh published Evidence-Based Treatment for Children with Autism: The CARD Model with co-editors Jonathan Tarbox, Adel Najdowski, and Julie Kornack.
In 2016, Granpeesheh participated in Andrew Wakefield's Vaxxed, a pseudoscientific propaganda film which pushes his widely debunked theory that the MMR vaccine causes autism. Granpeesheh features prominently in the film, falsely claiming that autism is caused by children "not detoxifying from the vaccinations" and can be treated with detoxification. Granpeesheh had previously worked for Wakefield at his clinic Thoughtful House.
Notable awards received by Granpeesheh include the George Winokur Clinical Research Paper Award from the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists and the Wendy F. Miller Professional of the Year Award from the Autism Society of America.