William Bennett is a researcher whose laboratory focuses on the intersection of clinical informatics, patient engagement research, and comparative effectiveness research in pediatrics, pediatric gastroenterology, and pediatric urology. He has been the principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health-funded studies related to the establishment of patient-centered outcomes in pediatric disorders, as well as patient input on the implementation of clinical trials. Additionally, he is the principal investigator on a PCORI Engagement Award focused on improving the way that genetics professionals communicate the results of studies to families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.
Bennett is also the father of a child with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome and is active in the neurodevelopmental disorders/autism community. His education includes a bachelor of science from Baylor University, a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern, a master of science in computer science from Washington University, and pediatric and gastroenterology postgraduate medical training at Washington University. He is primarily motivated by the desire to improve both the topics and the process of clinical research by engaging families and patients, especially in structured ways that also include clinicians and other stakeholders at the same table.
His daughter's condition and his experiences as a parent have also sparked an interest in the digestive health of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and autism, which is his primary clinical focus as a gastroenterologist.