Monica Coenraads’s involvement with Rett syndrome began the day her then-2-year-old daughter was diagnosed with the disorder. A year later, in 1999, she co-founded the Rett Syndrome Research Foundation (RSRF) and held the position of scientific director during the eight years of the foundation’s drive to stimulate scientific interest and research in Rett syndrome. This culminated in the groundbreaking work in 2007 that demonstrated the first global reversal of symptoms in preclinical models of the disorder. Coenraads co-founded the Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) in late 2007 to pursue the next steps from that milestone. Under her leadership at RSRF and RSRT, $36 million has been raised for research. In 2010 she co-founded the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK, now called Reverse Rett, and currently serves as a trustee.