Sep. 8, 2025
This is part of a series of Q&As introducing faculty who have joined the College of Health Sciences for the 2025–26 academic year. Meet all of our new faculty members.
Steve Kanne
Clinical professor, Department of Health Psychology
What classes are you teaching this semester?
None this semester. I mentor students clinically and supervise interns and postdocs.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background?
I earned both my bachelor’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Washington University. Then, I completed a clinical internship at the University of California, San Diego. I first came to MU for my post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology.
My early career included five years as a pediatric neuropsychologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, followed by four years at the University of Missouri, focusing on autism and pediatric neuropsychology. I later became director of the Autism Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital before returning to the University of Missouri in 2012 to lead the Thompson Center. I transitioned to Weill Cornell to lead their autism center in 2020, and I returned to Mizzou in 2025.
My research interests center on autism, diagnostic tools, behavioral phenotyping, co-occurring symptoms, special interests, subthreshold symptoms and evidence-based therapies. I have published extensively in these areas, as well as in cognitive neuropsychology, the history of neuropsychology and pediatric traumatic brain injury.
What brought you to Mizzou? To your field?
I originally came for pediatric neuropsychology, and then fell in love with the field of autism. I was lucky to be on the ground floor when the Thompson Center initially began in 2005.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
Being able to help so many families! A close second is teaching and watching new professionals learn and grow.
What has you excited for this semester?
I just started back here, so I’m excited to get to know all of the new people.
What is a fun hobby or activity that you enjoy outside of work?
Disc golf and chess.
Share a memorable moment from your time teaching – something funny, touching, or just downright unforgettable!
When I was teaching a workshop on how to diagnose autism, the child that we were evaluating looked at his mother and, for the first time ever, said, “I love you, mom.”
What is your hidden talent?
Taking a pragmatic approach to solving problems.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?
“Asking yourself: Is this truly the hill to die on?” A prior mentor said that to me.
