Dr. Ola Abusukkar has been executive director of the King Salman Center for Disability Research (KSCDR) since 2019.
Abusukkar is also the training and programs director of KSCDR. The center works to implement, fund and conduct field research in all areas of disability science and disseminate knowledge through training and publications.
Abusukkar is the founder of new direction programs for youth and adults with autism in Riyadh and the founder of the youth and adults with autism summer camp.
She became chairman of the scientific committee of the developmental and behavioral disorder program at the Ministry of Health in 2017. She was the educational diploma program project coordinator at the Saudi Health Council during the same year.
In 2020, Abusukkar was awarded the 21st Middle East Leadership Excellence Award for community service sectors, held in the UAE.
She was also honored with the Harry Watkins Outstanding Achievement Award for striving for excellence in higher academic achievement at Ball State University in the US in 2013.
Before her work for KSCDR, she was a consultant at the Saudi Health Council from 2017 to 2018.
In 2015, she became the special education department chairman at the College of Education at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University until 2017.
Abusukkar holds a doctoral degree in special education for autism spectrum disorder, a partial doctoral degree in applied behavior analysis and a minor in early intervention gained from Ball State University in 2014.
In 2013, Abusukkar completed a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis with an emphasis on autism from the same university.
She also gained a master’s degree in behavioral disorder, special education, from the University of Akron in the US in 2010, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from King Abdul Aziz University in 2005.
