 Under her leadership at Autism Speaks, several new initiatives were launched, including the Translational Medicine Research Initiative, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, the Trailblazer Award, the Autism 10K Genome Project, the Early Access to Care Initiative, the Global Autism Public Health Initiative, and DELSIA (Delivering Scientific Innovation for Autism), a not-for-profit affiliate of Autism Speaks focused on accelerating scientific breakthroughs through partnerships with industry.In 2008, Dawson was featured in the journal, Science, when she began her new role at Autism Speaks.Dawson's work has been featured frequently in the media, including programs such as the Jim Lehrer Newshour, PBS Scientific American Frontiers with Alan Alda, The New York Times, among many others.