Skip to main content
Deborah Bilder
No Rating Available
(Learn About Our Rating System)

Deborah Bilder, MD

Languages spoken: English, German

Clinical Locations

UNI Neurobehavior HOME Program
Salt Lake City
801-581-5515
  • Deborah Bilder, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah. She completed the triple board residency program (Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) at the University of Utah and maintains board certification in all three specialties. Following residency, she participated in the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (URLEND) and is now a consultant for this program.

    Debbie’s lab developed the Sources of Distress Survey Tool, which has been peer-reviewed and published. Sources of Distress is an adaptive 15-minute web-based tool developed for parents and professional caregivers of children and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The tool uses a branching logic algorithm to identify potential underlying treatment targets for persistent irritability and agitation that may otherwise have been unrecognized or insufficiently treated. The Sources of Distress Report organizes these responses into a targeted review of systems for mental health and medical conditions. Providers will find the organized, automated report helpful in clinic settings. The link to the Sources of Distress is hosted by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (https://familyhealth.utah.gov/cshcn/asd/). Published papers about Sources of Distress can be found at: https://focus.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.focus.20230027 and https://mental.jmir.org/2024/1/e50907

    Through her leadership, she facilitated the growth of Neurobehavior HOME program, a fiscally viable, Medicaid-funded sub-specialty medical home program for individuals throughout the lifespan with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is a clinical and research expert in autism and is the Principal Investigator for the Utah Registry of Autism and Developmental Disabilities and Co-Principal Investigator for the Utah site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. She consults for pharmaceutical companies on clinical trial protocol development for drugs and biologics that target rare genetic conditions.

    Board Certification

    American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Psychiatry)
  • Deborah Bilder, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah. She completed the triple board residency program (Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) at the University of Utah and maintains board certification in all three specialties. Following residency, she participated in the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (URLEND) and is now a consultant for this program.

    Debbie’s lab developed the Sources of Distress Survey Tool, which has been peer-reviewed and published. Sources of Distress is an adaptive 15-minute web-based tool developed for parents and professional caregivers of children and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The tool uses a branching logic algorithm to identify potential underlying treatment targets for persistent irritability and agitation that may otherwise have been unrecognized or insufficiently treated. The Sources of Distress Report organizes these responses into a targeted review of systems for mental health and medical conditions. Providers will find the organized, automated report helpful in clinic settings. The link to the Sources of Distress is hosted by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (https://familyhealth.utah.gov/cshcn/asd/). Published papers about Sources of Distress can be found at: https://focus.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.focus.20230027 and https://mental.jmir.org/2024/1/e50907

    Through her leadership, she facilitated the growth of Neurobehavior HOME program, a fiscally viable, Medicaid-funded sub-specialty medical home program for individuals throughout the lifespan with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is a clinical and research expert in autism and is the Principal Investigator for the Utah Registry of Autism and Developmental Disabilities and Co-Principal Investigator for the Utah site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. She consults for pharmaceutical companies on clinical trial protocol development for drugs and biologics that target rare genetic conditions.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Psychiatry -Primary
    Pediatrics -Adjunct
    Academic Divisions Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
    General Pediatrics
    Board Certification
    American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Psychiatry)

    Education history

    Certification Business - University of Utah David Eccles School of Business Certification
    Pediatrics - Utah Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Certification
    Residency Triple Board - University of Utah School of Medicine Resident
    Triple Board - University of Utah School of Medicine Intern
    Professional Medical Medicine - Vanderbilt University M.D.
    German - Wake Forest University School of Medicine B.A.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Patti MA, Croen LA, Dickerson AS, Joseph RM, Ames JL, Ladd-Acosta C, Ozonoff S, Schmidt RJ, Volk HE, Hipwell AE, Magee KE, Karagas M, McEvoy C, Landa R, Elliott MR, Mitchell DK, DSa V, Deoni S, Pievsky M, Wu PC, Barry F, Stanford JB, Bilder DA, Trasande L, Bush NR, Lyall K, program collaborators for Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (2024). Reproducibility between preschool and school-age Social Responsiveness Scale forms in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program. Autism Res, 17(6), 1187-1204. (Read full article)
    2. Hughes MM, Pas ET, Durkin MS, DaWalt LS, Bilder DA, Bakian AV, Amoakohene E, Shaw KA, Patrick ME, Salinas A, DiRienzo M, Lopez M, Williams S, McArthur D, Hudson A, Ladd-Acosta CM, Schwenk YD, Baroud TM, Robinson Williams A, Washington A, Maenner MJ (2024). Health Conditions, Education Services, and Transition Planning for Adolescents With Autism. Pediatrics, 153(4). (Read full article)
    3. Aguayo P, Lin AG, Stevens PT, Carbone PS, Bilder DA, Rapaport MH (2024). A Patient-Centered Multidisciplinary Medical HOME for Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ), 22(2), 170-174. (Read full article)
    4. Bartel RL, Knight JR, Worsham W, Bilder DA (2024). Discordance Between Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medication Use in Children and Adults With Autism Presenting in Crisis. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ), 22(2), 150-161. (Read full article)
    5. Bilder DA, Mthembu M, Worsham W, Aguayo P, Knight JR, Deng SW, Singh TP, Davis J (2024). Developing and Implementing a Web-Based Branching Logic Survey to Support Psychiatric Crisis Evaluations of Individuals With Developmental Disabilities: Qualitative Study and Evaluation of Validity. JMIR Ment Health, 11, e50907. (Read full article)
    6. Bjoraker KJ, Eggerding C, Ellenberg E, Hollander S, Holmes BM, Lindstrom K, McNutt M, Miller S, Northrup H, Rogers M, Rose S, Scott M, Shim S, Wardley B, Wessenberg L, Bilder DA (2023). Best practice recommendations for the management of anxiety during the pegvaliase journey. Mol Genet Metab, 141(1), 107737. (Read full article)
    7. Rocha JC, Ahring KK, Bausell H, Bilder DA, Harding CO, Inwood A, Longo N, Muntau AC, Pessoa ALS, Rohr F, Sivri S, Hermida (2023). Expert Consensus on the Long-Term Effectiveness of Medical Nutrition Therapy and Its Impact on the Outcomes of Adults with Phenylketonuria. Nutrients, 15(18). (Read full article)
    8. Bilder DA, Worsham W, Sullivan S, Esplin MS, Burghardt P, Fraser A, Bakian AV (2023). Sex-specific and sex-independent steroid-related biomarkers in early second trimester maternal serum associated with autism. Mol Autism, 14(1), 30. (Read full article)
    9. Hughes MM, Shaw KA, Patrick ME, DiRienzo M, Bakian AV, Bilder DA, Durkin MS, Hudson A, Spivey MH, DaWalt LS, Salinas A, Schwenk YD, Lopez M, Baroud TM, Maenner MJ (2023). Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnostic Patterns, Co-occurring Conditions, and Transition Planning. J Adolesc Health, 73(2), 271-278. (Read full article)
    10. Hughes MM, Kirby AV, Davis J, Bilder DA, Patrick M, Lopez M, DaWalt LS, Pas ET, Bakian AV, Shaw KA, DiRienzo M, Hudson A, Schwenk YD, Baroud TM, Washington A, Maenner MJ (2023). Individualized Education Programs and Transition Planning for Adolescents With Autism. Pediatrics, 152(1). (Read full article)
    11. Grant ML, Jurecki ER, McCandless SE, Stahl SM, Bilder DA, Sanchez-Valle A, Dimmock D (2023). Neuropsychiatric Function Improvement in Pediatric Patients with Phenylketonuria. J Pediatr, 260, 113526. (Read full article)
    12. Shaw KA, Williams S, Hughes MM, Warren Z, Bakian AV, Durkin MS, Esler A, Hall-Lande J, Salinas A, Vehorn A, Andrews JG, Baroud T, Bilder DA, Dimian A, Galindo M, Hudson A, Hallas L, Lopez M, Pokoski O, Pettygrove S, Rossow K, Shenouda J, Schwenk YD, Zahorodny W, Washington A, Maenner MJ (2023). Statewide county-level autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates-seven U.S. states, 2018. Ann Epidemiol, 79, 39-43. (Read full article)
    13. Grineski S, Alexander C, Renteria R, Collins TW, Bilder D, VanDerslice J, Bakian A (2022). Trimester-specific ambient PM(2.5) exposures and risk of intellectual disability in Utah. Environ Res, 218, 115009. (Read full article)
    14. Grineski SE, Renteria R, Collins TW, Mangadu A, Alexander C, Bilder D, Bakian A (2022). Associations between estimates of perinatal industrial pollution exposures and intellectual disability in Utah children. Sci Total Environ, 836, 155630. (Read full article)
    15. Lyall K, Ning X, Aschner JL, Avalos LA, Bennett DH, Bilder DA, Bush NR, Carroll KN, Chu SH, Croen LA, Dabelea D, Daniels JL, Duarte C, Elliott AJ, Fallin MD, Ferrara A, Hertz-Picciotto I, Hipwell AE, Jensen ET, Johnson SL, Joseph RM, Karagas M, Kelly RS, Lester BM, Margolis A, McEvoy CT, Messinger D, Neiderhiser JM, OConnor TG, Oken E, Sathyanarayana S, Schmidt RJ, Sheinkopf SJ, Talge NM, Turi KN, Wright RJ, Zhao Q, Newschaffer C, Volk HE, Ladd-Acosta C, Environmental Influences On Child Health Outcomes OBOPCF (2022). Cardiometabolic Pregnancy Complications in Association with Autism-Related Traits as Measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale in ECHO. Am J Epidemiol. (Read full article)
    16. Bilder DA, Arnold GL, Dimmock D, Grant ML, Janzen D, Longo N, Nguyen-Driver M, Jurecki E, Merilainen M, Amato G, Waisbren S (2021). Improved attention linked to sustained phenylalanine reduction in adults with early-treated phenylketonuria. Am J Med Genet A, 188(3), 768-778. (Read full article)
    17. Kirby AV, Bilder DA, Wiggins LD, Hughes MM, Davis J, Hall-Lande JA, Lee LC, McMahon WM, Bakian AV (2022). Sensory features in autism: Findings from a large population-based surveillance system. Autism Res, 15, 751-760. (Read full article)
    18. Burton BK, Skalicky A, Baerwald C, Bilder DA, Harding CO, Ilan AB, Jurecki E, Longo N, Madden DT, Sivri HS, Wilcox G, Thomas J, Delaney K (2021). A non-interventional observational study to identify and validate clinical outcome assessments for adults with phenylketonuria for use in clinical trials. Mol Genet Metab Rep, 29, 100810. (Read full article)
    19. Juand-Prats C, James E, Bilder DA, McNair L, Kenneally N, Helfer J, Huang N, Vila MC, Sullivan J, Wirrell E, Rico S (2021). DRAVET ENGAGE. Parent caregivers of children with Dravet syndrome: Perspectives, needs, and opportunities for clinical research. Epilepsy Behav, 122, 108198. (Read full article)
    20. Lloyd A, Aggio D, Slocomb TL, Lee J, Beggs AH, Bilder D (2021). Estimation of the Quality-of-Life Impact of X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy. J Neuromuscul Dis, 8, 1047-1061. (Read full article)
    21. Worsham W, Dalton S, Bilder DA (2021). The Prenatal Hormone Milieu in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Psychiatry, 12, 655438. (Read full article)
    22. Patrick ME, Shaw KA, Dietz PM, Baio J, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Bilder DA, Kirby RS, Hall-Lande JA, Harrington RA, Lee LC, Lopez MLC, Daniels J, Maenner MJ (2020). Prevalence of intellectual disability among eight-year-old children from selected communities in the United States, 2014. Disabil Health J, 14(2), 101023. (Read full article)
    23. Duong T, Harding G, Mannix S, Abel C, Phillips D, Alfano LN, Bnnemann CG, Lilien C, Lowes LP, Servais L, Warken-Madelung B, Nieto Bergman S, James ES, Noursalehi M, Prasad S, Rico S, Bilder DA (2020). Use of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Infant Test of Neuromuscular Disorders (CHOP INTEND) in X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy: Content Validity and Psychometric Performance. J Neuromuscul Dis, 8(1), 63-77. (Read full article)
    24. Christ SE, Clocksin HE, Burton BK, Grant ML, Waisbren S, Paulin MC, Bilder DA, White DA, Saville C (2020). Executive function in phenylketonuria (PKU): Insights from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and a large sample of individuals with PKU. Neuropsychology, 34(4), 456-466. (Read full article)
    25. Bilder DA, Esplin MS, Coon H, Burghardt P, Clark EAS, Fraser A, Smith KR, Worsham W, Chappelle K, Rayner T, Bakian AV (2019). Early Second Trimester Maternal Serum Steroid-Related Biomarkers Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord, 49(11), 4572-4583. (Read full article)
    26. Longo N, Dimmock D, Levy H, Viau K, Bausell H, Bilder DA, Burton B, Gross C, Northrup H, Rohr F, Sacharow S, Sanchez-Valle A, Stuy M, Thomas J, Vockley J, Zori R, Harding CO (2018). Evidence- and consensus-based recommendations for the use of pegvaliase in adults with phenylketonuria. Genet Med, 21(8), 1851-1867. (Read full article)
    27. Christensen DL, Maenner MJ, Bilder D, Constantino JN, Daniels J, Durkin MS, Fitzgerald RT, Kurzius-Spencer M, Pettygrove SD, Robinson C, Shenouda J, White T, Zahorodny W, Pazol K, Dietz P (2019). Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 Years - Early Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, Seven Sites, United States, 2010, 2012, and 2014. MMWR Surveill Summ, 68(2), 1-19. (Read full article)
    28. Kirby AV, Bakian AV, Zhang Y, Bilder DA, Keeshin BR, Coon H (2019). A 20-year study of suicide death in a statewide autism population. Autism Res, 12(4), 658-666. (Read full article)
    29. Christensen DL, Braun KVN, Baio J, Bilder D, Charles J, Constantino JN, Daniels J, Durkin MS, Fitzgerald RT, Kurzius-Spencer M, Lee LC, Pettygrove S, Robinson C, Schulz E, Wells C, Wingate MS, Zahorodny W, Yeargin-Allsopp M (2018). Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2012. MMWR Surveill Summ, 65(13), 1-23. (Read full article)
    30. Bakian AV, Bilder DA, Korgenski EK, Bonkowsky JL (2018). Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neonatal Serum Magnesium Levels in Preterm Infants. Child Neurol Open, 5, 2329048X18800566. (Read full article)
    31. Thomas J, Levy H, Amato S, Vockley J, Zori R, Dimmock D, Harding CO, Bilder DA, Weng HH, Olbertz J, Merilainen M, Jiang J, Larimore K, Gupta S, Gu Z, Northrup H, PRISM investigators (2018). Pegvaliase for the treatment of phenylketonuria: Results of a long-term phase 3 clinical trial program (PRISM). Mol Genet Metab, 124(1), 27-38. (Read full article)
    32. Farley M, Cottle KJ, Bilder D, Viskochil J, Coon H, McMahon W (2017). Mid-life social outcomes for a population-based sample of adults with ASD. Autism Res, 11(1), 142-152. (Read full article)
    33. Schoser B, Bilder DA, Dimmock D, Gupta D, James ES, Prasad S (2017). The humanistic burden of Pompe disease: are there still unmet needs? A systematic review. BMC Neurol, 17(1), 202. (Read full article)
    34. Dickerson AS, Rahbar MH, Pearson DA, Kirby RS, Bakian AV, Bilder DA, Harrington RA, Pettygrove S, Zahorodny WM, Moy LA 3rd, Durkin M, Slay Wingate M (2017). Autism spectrum disorder reporting in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods. Autism, 21(4), 470-480.
    35. Bilder DA, Kobori JA, Cohen-Pfeffer JL, Johnson EM, Jurecki ER, Grant ML (2017). Neuropsychiatric comorbidities in adults with phenylketonuria: A retrospective cohort study. Mol Genet Metab, 121(1), 1-8.
    36. Bilder DA, Bakian AV, Stevenson DA, Carbone PS, Cunniff C, Goodman AB, McMahon WM, Fisher NP, Viskochil D (2016). Brief Report: The Prevalence of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Identified by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. J Autism Dev Disord, 46(10), 3369-76. (Read full article)
    37. Dickerson AS, Rahbar MH, Bakian AV, Bilder DA, Harrington RA, Pettygrove S, Kirby RS, Durkin MS, Han I, Moy LA 3rd, Pearson DA, Wingate MS, Zahorodny WM (2016). Autism spectrum disorder prevalence and associations with air concentrations of lead, mercury, and arsenic. Environ Monit Assess, 188(7), 407.
    38. Jones KB, Cottle K, Bakian A, Farley M, Bilder D, Coon H, McMahon WM (2015). A description of medical conditions in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A follow-up of the 1980s Utah/UCLA Autism Epidemiologic Study. Autism, 20(5), 551-61. (Read full article)
    39. Wyrwich KW, Shaffer S, Gries K, Auguste P, Mooney KH, Prasad S, Bilder DA (2016). Content validity of the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD RS-IV) and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) in phenylketonuria. J Inborn Errors Metab Screen, 4, 1-9.
    40. Viau K, Jones JL, Murtaugh MA, Gren LH, Stanford JB, Bilder DA (2016). Phone-based motivational interviewing to increase self-efficacy in individuals with phenylketonuria. Mol Genet Metab Rep, 6, 27-33.
    41. Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2012 Principal Investigators (2016). Prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 sites, United States, 2012. MMWR Surveill Summ, 65(3), 1-23.
    42. Ruiz LM, Damron M, Jones KB, Weedon D, Carbone PS, Bakian AV, Bilder DA (2016). Antipsychotic Use and Metabolic Monitoring in Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Served in a Medicaid Medical Home. J Autism Dev Disord, 46(6), 1887-1894. (Read full article)
    43. Bilder DA, Noel JK, Baker ER, Irish W, Chen Y, Merilainen MJ, Prasad S, Winslow BJ (2016). Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Executive Functioning in Adults With Phenylketonuria. Dev Neuropsychol, 41(4), 245-260. (Read full article)
    44. Viau KS, Jones JL, Murtaugh MA, Gren LH, Stanford JB, Bilder DA (2016). Phone-based motivational interviewing to increase self-efficacy in individuals with phenylketonuria. Mol Genet Metab Rep, 6, 27-33. (Read full article)
    45. Gray DD, Bilder DA, Leonard HL, Anders TF (2006). Triple board training and new "portals" into child psychiatry training. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am, 16(1), 55-66, viii. (Read full article)

    Review

    1. Whitehall KB, Rose S, Clague GE, Ahring KK, Bilder DA, Harding CO, Hermida, Inwood A, Longo N, Maillot F, Muntau AC, Pessoa ALS, Rocha JC, Rohr F, Sivri S, Said J, Oshinbolu S, Sibbring GC (2024). Systematic literature review of the somatic comorbidities experienced by adults with phenylketonuria. [Review]. Orphanet J Rare Dis, 19(1), 293. (Read full article)
    2. Goodspeed K, Liu JS, Nye KL, Prasad S, Sadhu C, Tavakkoli F, Bilder DA, Minassian BA, Bailey RM (2022). SLC13A5 Deficiency Disorder: From Genetics to Gene Therapy. [Review]. Genes (Basel), 13(9). (Read full article)

    Editorial

    1. Waisbren SE, Christ SE, Bilder DA, Bjoraker KJ, Bolton S, Chamberlin S, Grant ML, Janzen DM, Katz R, Lubliner E, Martin A, McQueen K, Moshkovich O, Nguyen-Driver M, Shim S, Stefanatos AK, Wilkening G, Harding C (2024). Neurocognitive assessment platform for clinical trials in PKU: White paper developed by the NPKUA neurocognitive workgroup. Mol Genet Metab, 143(1-2), 108555. (Read full article)
    2. Bilder DA (2024). Mental Health Awareness and Support for Autistic People. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ), 22(2), 147-149. (Read full article)

    Other

    1. Bilder DA, Esplin MS, Coon H, Burghardt P, Clark EAS, Fraser A, Smith KR, Worsham W, Chappelle K, Rayner T, Bakian AV (2019). Correction to: Early Second Trimester Maternal Serum Steroid‑Related Biomarkers Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord (49(11), p. 4584). United States. (Read full article)

    Video/Film/CD/Web/Podcast

    1. Bilder D, Lainhart J (2004). "Autism Module", Utah Collaborative Medical Home Project [Web]. Utah Collaborative Medical Home Project. Available: http://medhome.med.utah.edu/diag/diagnosis.cfm?diag_id=20&.

    Patent

    1. (2018). Sources of Distress.