Ilka Riddle is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and serves as director of the federally funded University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCCEDD).
With more than 20 years of experience leading federal and state-funded initiatives, Riddle focuses on improving systems of care for children, youth and adults with disabilities and special health care needs. Her work emphasizes advancing inclusive health care across the lifespan and improving the transition from pediatric and school-based services to adult life in the community.
As director of UCCEDD, Riddle oversees interdisciplinary training, community services and partnerships, research, policy initiatives, and the sharing of information with people with disabilities, families, professionals, policymakers, and the public.
Riddle has held leadership positions in state, national and international organizations, advisory groups and task forces dedicated to advancing disability inclusion. She has served as board president of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and contributed to the United Nations Human Rights Special Procedures Expert Group on the right of people with disabilities to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as well as the Inclusive Health Project Workgroup for Special Olympics International.