Mario J. Gaspar de Alba, MD, is an associate professor and the division chief of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Pediatrics. He also served as the school’s first associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion from March 2016 to March 2024.

As the medical director of the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation Ackerman Center in Las Vegas, a role he has held since 2016, Dr. Gaspar de Alba participates with an interdisciplinary team in the evaluation and treatment of children with neurodevelopmental challenges.

He is devoted to educating families, pediatric residents, and medical students regarding appropriate early child development, recognition of deviance from expected development, and the importance of early intervention and its impact on future quality of life issues. Dr. Gaspar de Alba has served as the chair of the Nevada Autism Commission and as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early” Ambassador to the state of Nevada. He currently serves as a board member on the Nevada Maternal and Child Health Advisory Board.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Dr. Gaspar de Alba received his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University. He then received his medical degree from New York Medical College before completing his pediatrics residency program at the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital and his developmental behavioral fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

His areas of interest include autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and learning challenges.