Faculty & Staff

Danielle Abate, MA

Project Coordinator LEAD Lab

Angelica Aguirre

Project Associate, INDEX

Benjamin Amankwata

DevOps Engineer, INDEX

Linda G. Bandini, PhD

Director of Nutrition, LEND Program; Professor of Pediatrics, UMMS; Clinical Professor, Sargent College of Allied Health Professions, Boston University.

Julianna Bates, PhD

Program Director

Janet Blodgett

Senior Data Analyst, CDDER

Alexandra Bonardi, OTR/L, MHA

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Senior Policy Specialist, Human Services Research.

Christine Bourbeau

Executive Assistant to Dr. Jean Frazier

Sarabeth Broder-Fingert, MD, MPH

Associate Director of Research, E.K. Shriver Center
Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, UMMS
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UMMS

Jennifer Brooks

Research Project Director, UMMS

Donna Caira

Administrative Assistant, Shriver LEND and UCEDD programs.

Derek Chaves

Director of Technology, INDEX

Christine Clifford, MHP

Project Director II, CDDER

David Cochran, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, UMMS

Lisa Crouser

Project Director ll, Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health

Patrick Cullen

Clinical Research Assistant, UMMS

Carol Curtin, PhD

Associate Director, E.K. Shriver Center; Director, LEND and University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Programs; Associate Professor, Departments of Family Medicine & Community Health and Psychiatry, UMMS; Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine; Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Management, Suffolk University

Melissa L. Desroches

Curtis K Deutsch, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Noreen Dillon, EdD

Research Psychologist, CANDI

Viet Do, MS

Web & Database Developer, INDEX

Ursula Drager, MD

Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Vadim Droznin

Director of Business Development, INDEX

Courtney Dutra, MPA, PMP

Project Manager III, CDDER

Terri Farrell, MBA

Project Director,  Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health

Ann Foley, EdM

Program Director, CANDI Lab

Jean Frazier, MD

 Executive Director, E.K. Shriver Center; Robert M. & Shirley S. Siff Chair in Autism; Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, UMMS

Plyce Fuchu, MPH

Project Manager

Jennifer Fugelstad, M.Ed

Senior Quality Improvement Specialist, CDDER

Elaine Gabovitch, MPA

Instructor, Family Medicine & Community Health; Director, Division of Children with Special Health Needs, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Evan Gabovitch

Project Assistant,  Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health

Joanna Gelinas

Project Coordinator II, CDDER

Patrick Gleason, MA

Research Data Specialist, UMMS

Charles Hamad, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UMMS

Christian Haselgrove

Application Database Developer

Steve Hodge, MA

Statistician / Data Manager

Isha Jalnapurkar, MD

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Suzanne Jervinis

Insurance Navigation Manager, Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health

Victoria Johnson

Clinical Research Assistant

David Kennedy, PhD

Co-Director, CANDI Lab; Director of Neuroinformatics Program; Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Sohye Kim, PhD

Assistant Professor

Jennifer Koh

Educational Support Technician,  INDEX

Emily Lauer, MPH

 Director, Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research (CDDER); Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, UMMS

Julie LeMoine

Assistant Professor, UMass Chan Medical School
Co-founder of InovaXR lab, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center
Ph.D. Candidate, Applied XR in Health and Well Being, Digital Helpers for ASD
IRC Enterprise Scholar, UCD, sponsored by Microsoft

Deborah Letourneau

Executive Assistant to Dr. Frazier

Aurom Lum

Web Accessibility Support Technician, INDEX

Lauren Mann

Marketing & Public Engagement Specialist

Arline Mata

Clinical Research Coordinator, CANDI

Susan McCarthy

Grants & Contracts Specialist

Taylor Merk, BS

Clinical Research Coordinator, CANDI

Mo Modarres, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

David Moeckel, MBA, CPA

Grant and Contract Specialist

Sandra Caligaris Osborne

Lena Riccardi

CANS Training Program Coordinator

Christine Roa

Project Manager, CDDER

John Rochford, MS, LABA

Director, INDEX Program;  Instructor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, UMMS

Mabelys Rodriquez-Suarez

System Administrator, INDEX

Emily Rubin, MA, LICSW

Director of Sibling Support Program; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry

Sarah Rulnick, MPH

Director, CANS Program

Sharon Strzalkowski

Information Coordinator, INDEX

Betty Suydam

Information Coordinator, INDEX

Susan Swanson, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech/Language Pathologist; Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Liz Thissell Turenne, LICSW

Intake Coordinator, Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO)

Janet Twyman, PhD, BCBA, LABA

Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Founder of Blast: A Learning Sciences Company.
Focus: Behavior Analysis, Educational Technology, Instructional Design & Delivery.

Martha Ventura

Project Assistant II, INDEX

Lauren Venuti, MSW

Project Director

Erin Warren

Academic Administrator

Amy Weinstock, MArch

Director, Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health ; Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Frances West

Instructor

Robert Baldor, MD, FAAFP

Nancy Byatt, DO, MS, MBA

Academic Role: Associate Professor of Psychiatry, OB/GYN, and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
Focus: Perinatal Mental Health, Implementation Science, Integrated Care and Population Health
Email Dr. Byatt: Nancy.Byatt@umassmemorial.org
Relevant Web-pages https://www.umassmed.edu/lifeline4moms/; https://www.mcpapformoms.org

Lauren Charlot, PhD

Academic Role: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Focus: Psychiatric Comorbidities in Adults with Autism and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Email Dr. Charlot: charlotlr@outlook.com

Maryann Davis, PhD

Academic Role: Professor of Psychiatry
Focus: Transition-Age Youth, Mental Health
Email Dr. Davis: Maryann.Davis@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.umassmed.edu/sparc/ and https://www.umassmed.edu/TransitionsACR

Deborah Dreyfus, MD, Msc

Academic Role: Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Focus: LEND, CDDER
Email Dr. Dreyfus: Deborah.Dreyfus@umassmemorial.org

Yael Dvir, MD

Academic Role: Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Focus: Mood and Psychotic Disorders, ADHD, Trauma, Autism Learning Health Network
Email Dr. Dvir: Yael.Dvir@umassmed.edu

Susan Feeney, DNP, MS, FNP-BC, NP-C

Academic Role: Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Nursing
Focus: Nurse Practitioner training, LEND
Email Dr. Feeney: Susan.Feeney@umassmed.edu

William Garrison, PhD

Academic Role: Psychology, Professor of Pediatrics
Focus: LEND
Email Dr. Garrison: William.Garrison@umassmemorial.org

Matthew Gounis, PhD

Academic Role: Professor of Radiology
Focus: Image-guided surgery, Neuroimaging
Email Dr. Gounis: Matthew.Gounis@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.umassmed.edu/radiology/research/division-of-biomedical-imaging-and-bioengineering/interventional-neuroradiology-necstrr

Jessica Griffin, PsyD

Academic Role: Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Pediatrics
Focus: Trauma, Relationships, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Email Dr. Griffin: Jessica.Griffin@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.umassmed.edu/cttc/

Mary Beth Kadlec, ScD, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist; Program Director, UMass Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO); Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

Stephenie Lemon, PhD

Academic Role: Professor of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
Focus: Implementation Science, Community Engagement in Research
Email Dr. Lemon: Stephenie.Lemon@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-pages https://www.umassmed.edu/prc; https://www.umassmed.edu/mcciss/home/

Linda Long-Bellil, PhD, JD

Assistant Professor of Family Medicine & Community Health; Project Director, Commonwealth Medicine Research and Evaluation

Sandy Matava, MPA

Clinical Assistant Professor
Director, Moakley Center for Public Management, Suffolk University

William McIlvane, PhD

Academic Role: Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry
Focus: Behavior Analysis, Stimulus Control, Instructional Design
Email Dr. McIlvane: William.McIlvane@umassmed.edu

M. Diane McKee, MD, MS

Academic Role: Professor of Family Medicine & Community Health
Focus: Health Equity, Primary Care and The Learning Health Systems
Email Dr. McKee: M.Diane.McKee@umassmed.edu

Tiffany Moore Simas, MD, MPH, MEd

Academic Role: Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Population & Quantitative Health Sciences
Focus: Maternal Health, Perinatal Mental Health
Email Dr. Moore Simas: TiffanyA.MooreSimas@umassmemorial.org
Relevant Web-pages
https://www.umassmed.edu/lifeline4moms/
https://www.mcpapformoms.org/
https://www.umassmed.edu/obgyn/research/home/

Sharina Person, PhD

Academic Role: Professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences
Focus: General and generalized linear models, cluster randomized designs, quality control and health disparities.
Email: Sharina.Person@umassmed.edu

Joel Richter, Richter

Academic Role: Professor of Program in Molecular Medicine
Focus: Animal and Human Models of Fragile X Syndrome
Email Dr. Richter: Joel.Richter@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.umassmed.edu/fragilex/

Lawrence Rhein, MD, MPH

Academic Role: Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Focus: Pediatric Neonatalogy research
Email Dr. Rhein: Lawrence.Rhein@umassmemorial.org

Richard Robison, DMin

Executive Director Emeritus, Federation for Children with Special Needs

Kathryn Sabella, PhD

Academic Role: Instructor in Psychiatry
Focus: Youth and Young Adults, Qualitative Research, Sociologic Research
Email Dr. Sabella: Kathryn.Sabella@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.umassmed.edu/TransitionsACR/

Dori Schafer, PhD

Academic Role: Associate Professor in Neurobiology
Focus: neural-immune signaling and microglia in neuropsychiatric disorders
Email Dr. Schafer: Dorothy.Schafer@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.schaferlabumms.com/

Gina Vincent, PhD

Academic Role Associate Professor in Psychiatry
Focus: Forensics, Implementing screening and assessment procedures in juvenile justice
Email Dr. Vincent: Gina.Vincent@umassmed.edu
Lab Web-page https://www.umassmed.edu/sparc/areas-of-research/law-ethics-mental-health/juvenile-justice-assessment

Kimberly A. Yonkers, MD

Academic Role: Professor of Psychiatry and OB/GYN
Focus: Maternal Mental Health
Email Dr. Yonkers: Kimberly.Yonkers@umassmemorial.org

April Bowling, MA, Sc.D.

Assistant Professor of Public Health and Nutrition at Merrimack College
Focus: Exercise, Nutrition, Mental Health

Richard Fleming, PhD

Professor (Emeritus) at UMass-Boston
Focus: Weight Management, Exercise Promotion, Healthy Weight Research Network

Laura Hanratty, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA

Assistant Professor at Elms College
Focus: Applied Behavior Analysis, MCPAP ASDID

Hannah Karpman, MSW, PhD

Assistant Professor

Aviva Must, PhD

Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts Univ School of Medicine
Focus: Nutritional and Obesity Epidemiology, Healthy Weight Research Network for Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities

Nicole Rivers, MPA

Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Management

Heidi Stanish, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, UMass-Boston
Adjunct Faculty, Family Medicine and Community Health, UMMS
Focus: Adaptive Physical Activity, Inclusive Fitness, Healthy Weight Research Network