Speaker bios

OAR’s Sixth Annual Applied Autism Research and Intervention Conference

Conference Faculty

Martina Boylan, M.Sc., BCBA,

The Red Door School for Autistic Children (Dublin, Ireland)

Joanne Gerenser, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,

Eden II Programs (Staten Island, NY)

Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D.,

President, Organization for Autism Research (Arlington, VA)

Beth Glasberg, Ph.D., BCBA, is the Director of Glasberg Behavioral Consulting Services, LLC, where she works with families and schools to help meet the needs of individuals with autism.  She is the author of Functional Behavioral Assessment for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Making Sense of Seemingly Senseless Behaviors and the upcoming Stop that Seemingly Senseless Behavior: Functionally Based Interventions for People with Autism.

Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, SUNY Stony Brook (Stony Brook, NY)

Roy Richard Grinker, Ph.D., is Professor of Anthropology, Human Sciences and International Affairs at the George Washington University. Grinker has published books and articles on topics such as the ethnic conflict in central Africa, the intellectual history of African Studies, and north-south Korean relations. He has conducted research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Korea, Swaziland, South Africa, India, and the U.S. Grinker graduated from Grinnell College in 1983 and received his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at Harvard University in 1989.

In 2005, he received a grant of $120,000 from the National Alliance for Autism Research/Autism Speaks, to conduct the first ever prevalence study of autism in Korea. His co-PI is Young-Shin Kim, M.D., Ph.D. of Yale University. Other members of the team include: Yun-Joo Koh, Ph.D. (site PI in Korea), Eric Fombonne, M.D. of McGill University, Bennett Leventhal, M.D. of the University of Illinois, and Dong-Ho Song, M.D. of Yonsei University (Korea). Their findings, based on a total population study of approximately 35,000 children (ages 6-12), will be reported in early 2009.

In 2008, Library Journal selected Unstrange Minds as one of the "30 Best Books of 2007," and was awarded a KEN prize from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for "Outstanding Literary Contribution to a Better Understanding of Mental Illness."

George Washington University (Washington, DC)

Dina E. Hill, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She works as a pediatric neuropsychologist at the UNM Center for Neuropsychological Services. Dr. Hill is the co-editor of Autism: From Research to Individualized Practice and Growing Up with Autism: Working with School-Age Children and Adolescents. She has published and received grants in the fields of ADHD and autism.

University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)

Philip Hineline, Ph.D., BCBA, received his B.A. from Hamilton College and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.  He spent three years at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research before moving to Temple University, where he is now a Professor. While developing the “interteach format” for use in classroom teaching, he has maintained a laboratory-based teaching environment, where much of the mentoring occurs between graduate and undergraduate students.  He has served as Associate Editor, as Editor, and as Review Editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.  Dr. Hineline has been President of ABA-International, as well as of Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, the Eastern Psychological Association, and the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.  He has received several awards for excellence in teaching, research, and service to the field, the most recent being the Fred S. Keller Behavioral Education Award, from Division 25 of the American Psychological Association.  His conceptual writing has addressed the characteristics of explanatory language and the controversies that have confronted behavior analysis.  His basic research has focused upon temporal extension in behavioral / psychological processes, with recent applied work evaluating behavioral interventions and addressing skill acquisition for persons who implement those interventions.

Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)

Anne Holmes, M.S., CCC, BCBA, is the Chief Clinical Officer for the Eden Family of Services, located in Princeton, New Jersey. Ms. Holmes received her Master’s degree in Speech Pathology from Douglass College and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence as well as New Jersey licensure, and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is also an adjunct faculty member of the College of New Jersey. In addition, Ms. Holmes is on the Autism Society of America’s Panel of Professional Advisors. Ms. Holmes has worked in the field of autism for over 30 years and is responsible for oversight for monitoring standards of care including staff development and student/participant outcomes by means of a comprehensive quality management system; as well as supervision of Outreach diagnostic, evaluative, and consultative services. In addition, she is the primary consultant to families, schools, and agencies, locally and nationwide. Ms. Holmes has written numerous papers and articles and is the primary editor of Eden’s curriculum.

Eden Family of Services (Princeton, NJ)

Randy Horowitz, M.S.Ed, S.A.S., is the Associate Executive Director of Educational Services at The Eden II Programs in Staten Island, N.Y. Randy has a Master of Science in Education from Queens College and Certificate of School Administration from the College of New Rochelle.

Randy is an adjunct lecturer at Queens College, CUNY and has presented at local, national and international conferences on topics relating to educating students with autism. Her particular areas of interest include preparing and supporting students with autism for integration into school and community activities.

Eden II Programs (Staten Island, NY)

Ami Klin, Ph.D., is the Harris Associate Professor of Child Psychology and Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, in New Haven, Connecticut. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of London, and completed clinical and research post-doctoral fellowships at the Yale Child Study Center. He directs the Autism Program at Yale, which is one of the National Institutes of Health Autism Centers of Excellence. This program includes a broad range of diagnostic and treatment services, and an interdisciplinary program of research that includes behavioral, brain, and genetics investigations. The program also provides training in a broad range of disciplines, and is strongly committed to advocacy at the local, national and international levels, with collaborations in several countries in Europe, Israel, and Latin America. Dr. Klin’s primary research activities focus on the social mind and the social brain, and on aspects of autism from infancy through adulthood. These studies include novel techniques such as the eye-tracking laboratory that allows researchers to see the world through the eyes of individuals with autism. These techniques are now being applied in the screening of babies at risk for autism. He is the author of over 150 publications in the field of autism and related conditions. He is also the co-editor of a textbook on Asperger Syndrome published by Guilford Press (soon to be released in its second edition), the third edition of the Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders published by Wiley, and several special issues of professional journals focused on autism and related disorders.

Yale Child Study Center (New Haven, CT)

Russell Kormann, Ph.D., is the director of Project: Natural Setting Therapeutic Management (NSTM), a community based behavioral support program at Rutgers, The State University that serves individuals with developmental disabilities and severe behavioral challenges. Project NSTM provides on-site behavioral support to families and professional staff who work with the referred individuals.  The model has been adopted as a prototype for state and national mental health care delivery and has been funded by the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities since 1980. Dr. Kormann has been with the Project since 1986 and during his tenure, has focused his professional attention on issues of community and academic inclusion for individuals with behavioral challenges, as well as on community-based behavioral assessment.  In addition to conducting extensive staff and parent training in behavior management, he has mentored many students in developing their professional expertise in this area. He serves as a behavioral consultant to over twenty school districts and residential programs throughout New Jersey serving students with severe medical, developmental and psychiatric needs. He has published articles on managing severe behaviors in classroom and community settings and is both a licensed, clinical psychologist as well as a state certified school psychologist.

Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ)

Suzanne Letso, M.A., BCBA,

Connecticut Center for Child Development (Milford, CT)

Len Levin, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1996; 2008 marks his 25th year in the field of ABA-based treatment and education services for individuals with autism.  Len has worked as a director at Alpine Learning Group; as a clinical director at Central East Preschool Autism Services in Ontario; and as Executive Director at the New Haven Learning Centre.  Currently, Len is the Clinical Director at Coyne and Associates, an agency that provides ABA-based early intervention and education services in Southern California, where he is responsible for overseeing approximately 75 staff and 200 children.  Len has published scientific, peer-reviewed, research papers in the areas of behavior management, functional communication training, food selectivity, and the acquisition of social skills.  He has also coauthored a book on behavior management/functional communication training, and a chapter promoting a model preschool program for children with autism.

Coyne and Associates (Murrieta, CA)

Brian Lopez, Ph.D.,

University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM)

Beth Malow, M.D., M.S., is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center and the Vanderbilt Sleep Research Core. She is also an Associate Director of Vanderbilt University’s Clinical Research Center and Chief of the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Division. Dr Malow received her MD degree at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. She completed residency training in Neurology at the Harvard-Longwood Program in Boston, Massachusetts, followed by fellowship training in epilepsy, EEG, and sleep medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Malow’s clinical and research interests are in the interface of sleep and neurological disorders, including epilepsy and autism. Her interest in autism dates back to when her oldest son, Austin, now age 10, was diagnosed with autism. Her younger son, Daniel, age 7, is also on the autism spectrum. Dr. Malow studies the causes of sleep disturbances in autism spectrum disorders and their impact on daytime behavior. With OAR support, she also has conducted parent education classes to promote sleep in children with autism. She holds a federal grant to conduct a pilot clinical trial of melatonin for insomnia in autism, which includes pharmacokinetic studies. Dr. Malow serves as the leader of the sleep specialist subcommittee and the Vanderbilt co-PI for the Autism Treatment Network, a 15-site network dedicated to developing medical standards of care for children with autism.  She is the author or co-author of over 50 scientific papers. Dr. Malow is a frequently invited speaker at national and international seminars and conferences focusing on sleep, autism, epilepsy, and neurological disorders.

Neurology Department, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)

Michael Murray, M.D.,

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State College of Medicine (Hershey, PA)

Shana Nichols, Ph.D.,

Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism, North Shore- LIJ Health System (Bethpage, NY)

Judy Palazzo, M.S., BCBA,

Connecticut Center for Child Development (Milford, CT)

Erin Richard has worked with learners with autism since 2000. She is currently the Director of Adult and Transition Services at Alpine Learning Group where she oversees the adult day program and the supported employment/volunteer programs. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Wake Forest University and a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell College. Erin has presented at various conferences on topics including preparing learners for adulthood, managing problem behavior, and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Alpine Learning Group (Paramus, NJ)

Luke Tsai, M.D., received his medical degree from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan and completed his residency training in general psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Iowa Hospitals. Prior to his current position, he held academic and professional appointments at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Tsai is a scholar, a researcher, a teacher, a father of a young man with autism, and a friend of individuals with Autism and related disorders. He has been selected by his professional peers as one of the Best Doctors in America. Dr. Tsai is the author of Taking the Mystery out of Medication in Autism/Asperger Syndromes.  His research interest includes: diagnosis and classification of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, genetic, neuroimaging, and psychopharmacological studies of developmental disorders including autistic and Asperger disorders.

University of Michigan Medical School (Ann Arbor, MI)

Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA, received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990.  She became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000.  She is an Associate Research Professor at Rutgers University, and she is the Director of Research and Training at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University.  Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, on identifying the specific utilities of various instructional methodologies within ABA, on evaluating the impact of ABA in learners with autism spectrum disorders, and in maximizing family members’ expertise and adaptation.  She has written numerous articles and four books on autism, Practical solutions for educating young children with high functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome (2008), Right from the start: Behavioral Intervention for young children with autism (co-authored with Sandra Harris, 2nd edition 2007), Reaching out, joining in: Teaching social skills to young children with autism (co-authored with Sandra Harris, 2001), and Sibling stories: Reflections on life with a brother or sister on the autism spectrum (co-authored with Lynne Stern Feiges, 2004).  She is also a regular presenter at regional, national, and international conferences on topics relevant to ABA and autism.  She is currently the President of the Autism Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis, and serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research and on the Board of Trustees of the NJ Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community. 

Rutgers University and Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center (New Brunswick, NJ)