Faculty & Staff
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center 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, UMass Chan Medical School; 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, UMass Chan Medical School
Professor of Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

Jennifer Brooks
Research Project Director

Donna Caira
Administrative Assistant, Shriver LEND and UCEDD programs.

Laura Campbell
Administrative Assistant, INDEX

Derek Chaves
Director of Technology, INDEX

Lindsey Cincotta
Research Associate I

Christine Clifford, MHP
Project Director II, CDDER

David Cochran, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

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

Carol Curtin, PhD, LICSW
Associate Director, E.K. Shriver Center; Director, LEND and University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Programs; Co-Director, Healthy Weight Research Network; Professor, Departments of Family Medicine & Community Health and Psychiatry, Faculty, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School; Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine; Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Management, Suffolk University

Melissa L. Desroches

Noreen Dillon, EdD
Research Psychologist, CANDI

Viet Do, MS
Web & Database Developer, INDEX

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

Jean A. Frazier, MD
Executive Director, E.K. Shriver Center; Robert M. & Shirley S. Siff Chair in Autism; Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

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

Charles Hamad, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UMass Chan Medical School

Christian Haselgrove
Application Database Developer

Steve Hodge, MA
Statistician / Data Manager

Isha Jalnapurkar, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

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

David Kennedy, PhD
Co-Director, CANDI Lab; Director of Neuroinformatics Program; Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

Sohye Kim, PhD
Assistant Professor

Jennifer Koh
Educational Support Technician, INDEX

Emily Lauer, MPH, PhD
Director, Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research (CDDER); Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, UMass Chan Medical School

Julie LeMoine, PhD
Assistant Professor, Neurobehavioral Technology, Dept. of Psychiatry
Co-founder of InovaXR lab, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center
Faculty Lead, XR-Ed, iCELS

Linda Long-Bellil, PhD, JD
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine & Community Health; Project Director, Commonwealth Medicine Research and Evaluation

Aurom Lum
Web Accessibility Support Technician, INDEX

Lauren Mann
Marketing & Public Engagement Specialist

Arline Mata
Clinical Research Coordinator, CANDI

Ariana Matias
Insurance Outreach Coordinator

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

Sophia Moroney
Research Associate I

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, UMass Chan Medical School

Mabelys Rodriquez-Suarez
System Administrator, INDEX

Emily Rubin, MA, LICSW
Director of Sibling Support Program; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

Sarah Rulnick, MPH
Director, CANS Program

Hannah Spear
Clinical Research Assistant

Betty Suydam
Information Coordinator, INDEX

Susan Swanson, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech/Language Pathologist; Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

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
Program Manager

Erin Warren
Academic Administrator

Amy Weinstock, MArch
Director, Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health ; Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

Trudy Wilcox
Data Analyst
Affiliated Faculty Members

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

Ursula Drager, MD
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

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

Ann Foley, EdM
Instructor of Psychiatry, UMass Chan Medical School

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/

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/

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
Adjunct Faculty

April Bowling, MA, Sc.D.
Assistant Professor of Public Health and Nutrition at Merrimack College
Focus: Exercise, Nutrition, Mental Health

Curtis K Deutsch, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

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

Mary Beth Kadlec, ScD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist; Program Director, UMass Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO); Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMMS

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