PhD in ABA
Meet Our Current PhD Students
2023 COHORT
Marqueline Cenatus, M.S., BCaBA
Research Interests:
- School-based interventions and problem behavior reduction with students with emotional behavior disorders and autism spectrum disorder
- Behavioral interventions in child welfare settings
- Trauma-informed care
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- ABA and Developmental Disabilities (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
Research Projects Underway:
- Examining the effects of contingency mapping on young children diagnosed with ASD
Emma Devine, M.S., BCaBA
Research Interests:
- Functional analysis methodology, screening and treatment of severe behavior, alternative methods of reinforcement, nontraditional applications of behavior analysis, and translational research.
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
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Introduction to Psychology (Teaching Assistant)
Research Projects Underway:
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The clinical utility of an extended "alone" condition as a screening tool to identify automatically-maintained behaviors.
Stephanie E. Howell, M.A., BCBA
Research Interests:
- The assessment and treatment of challenging behavior, caregiver training and caregiver-experienced trauma and the impact on training, teaching safety skills to individuals with autism with a focus on caregiver training, and Behavioral Skills Training (BST) in sports.
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Co-teaching Behavior Assessment and Intervention Planning (BAIP) and a Teaching Assistant for ABA Basic Principles
Research Projects Underway:
- Assessment of data recording practices and responsibilities among direct service providers of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Lynette Johnson, M.S.Ed., BCBA
Research Interests:
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Evidence-based staff and parent/caregiver training
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Translational research
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Organizational behavior management
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Addressing overarching business barriers
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Enhancing staff performance and procedural integrity
Research Projects Underway:
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Johnson, L. K., Zane, T., & DiGennaro Reed, F. D. (2023). Effects of feedback statements on staff procedural integrity [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas.
Anh Nguyen, M.S., BCBA
Research Interests:
- Assessment and treatment of severe challenging behavior
- Barriers to treatment effectiveness
- Staff training
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Co-Instructor: MHS 4208 Organizational Behavior Management
- Doctoral Teaching Assistant: MHS 6937 Behavior Theory
2022 Cohort
Marissa Del Vecchio, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- School-based interventions and problem behavior reduction with students with emotional behavior disorders and autism spectrum disorder
- Behavioral interventions in child welfare settings
- Trauma-informed care
- Classes taught or currently teaching
- Practicum Seminar in ABA (Instructor)
- Single Case Experimental Design (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Practicum Seminar in ABA (Instructor)
- Single Case Experimental Design (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- ABA and Developmental Disabilities (Teaching Assistant)
- Ethics in ABA (Teaching Assistant)
Research Projects Underway:
- Evaluating the use of technological devices for increasing on-task behavior for students with emotional behavior disorder
- A meta-analysis of behavioral interventions in child welfare settings
Mary (Max) Llinás, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Automatic Reinforcement
- Animal-Assisted Interventions
- DSM-V Disorders (e.g., Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders)
- Organizational Behavior Management
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Co-Instructor: MHS 4202 Behavior Assessment and Intervention Planning
- Doctoral Teaching Assistant: EAB 6790 ABA & Developmental Disabilities
Research Projects Underway:
- Discrimination between NCR and environmental enrichment
- The usage of the term NCR since 1993

Madeline Risse, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Optimizing the quality of school-wide behavioral management practices
- Maximizing the effectiveness of school-based behavioral assessment and intervention
- Increasing the effectiveness of school personnel training on the use of evidence-based practices
- Improving procedural integrity of universal and individualized behavior management strategies
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Observational Methods and Functional Assessment in ABA
(Doctoral Teaching Assistant) - Research Methods and Ethics in ABA (Instructor)
- Single Case Experimental Design (Teaching Assistant)
- Practicum Seminar in ABA
(Teaching Assistant)
Research Projects Underway:
- An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce model: A meta-analysis
- A systematic review of teacher training on universal and class-wide behavioral interventions implemented by school personnel
- A meta-analysis of functional communication training for young children with ASD and challenging behavior
- Evaluating technology-based self-monitoring of performance with reinforcement for students with disabilities
Emma Walker, MA, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Interdisciplinary behavioral interventions to increase cooperation and adherence to healthcare routines
- BST to train caregivers to increase health related behaviors in individuals with disabilities
- BST to train healthcare professionals to help promote cooperation in patients with disabilities
- Compassionate care and cultural responsiveness in ABA services and healthcare services
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Co-Instructor: MHS 3204 Fundamentals of ABA
- Teaching Assistant: MHS 6708 ABA Basic Principles
Research Projects Underway:
- Telehealth training of caregivers to increase Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) machine use in adults with Down syndrome and sleep apnea
- Evaluating music’s effect with a treadmill
2021 Cohort

Arturo Garcia, MA, BCBA
Research Interests:
- ABA in Child Welfare and foster care system
- ABA within Department of Juvenile Justice
- Assessment and acquisition of verbal behavior
- Assessment and treatment of automatically maintained problem behaviors
Current Research Projects:
- An experimental analysis of voice volume for children with autism spectrum disorder
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Planning in ABA (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- Single Case Experimental Design (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)

Jesenia Giambrone, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior
- Contextual variables and barriers to treatment effectiveness
- ABA and the treatment of symptoms of mental diagnoses (RAD,
ODD, PTSD)
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- Fundamentals of Applied Behavior Analysis (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- Functional Assessment (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
Ariadna Martinez, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Autism/developmental disabilities
- Assessment and treatment of problem behavior
- Skill acquisition
- Early intervention and family centered intervention
- Caregiver and teacher training
Classes Taught or Currently Teaching:
- ABA Graduate Practicum Seminar (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- ABA Undergraduate Practicum Seminar (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
Sharayah Tai, MS, BCBA
Research interests:
- ABA in health, sports, and fitness
- Increasing long-term motivation in individuals
- Enhancing athletic performance and improving athletic behaviors to reduce injury-risk factors
TA courses:
- Research Methods and Ethical Issues in ABA
Basic Principles of ABA
2020 Cohort
Shreeya Deshmukh, MS
Research Interests:
- ABA and health, sports, and fitness
- Behavioral interventions and coaching procedures
- ABA therapy in a dance context
Current Research Projects:
- A comparison of the effectiveness of verbal feedback and video feedback to improve dance skills
- An analysis of the accuracy and completeness of verbal and video feedback during dance training
- Reviewing behavioral interventions used to promote physical activity in individuals
with IDD
Classes taught or currently teaching:
- ABA in Complex Communities (Instructor)
- Research Methods and Ethical Issues in Behavior Analysis (Instructor)
- ABA Basic Principles (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
Asha Fuller, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Behavioral interventions in child welfare settings
- Interventions for addiction recovery and maintenance
- Teaching safety and self-advocacy skills
- Staff training
- Translational research
Current Research Projects:
- A systematic review of delay discounting and alcohol use interventions in humans
- Evaluating BST to teach identification of choking hazards to substitute caregivers
- A meta-analysis of behavioral interventions in child welfare settings
Classes taught or currently teaching:
- Observational Methods and Functional Analysis (Instructor)
- Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Planning in Applied Behavior Analysis (Instructor)
- Applied Behavior Analysis in Complex Community Environments (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- Experimental Analysis of Behavior (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- Single Case Experimental Design (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)

Alyssa Rojas, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Prevention of problem behavior
- Assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior
- Assessment and treatment of automatically maintained problem behavior
- Early intervention
- Interdisciplinary school-based intervention
- Teacher training
Current Research Projects:
- Systematic literature review of antecedent based strategies for vocal and motor stereotypy
- Precursor Identification Assessment
- Descriptive study on appropriate behaviors of typically developing preschoolers
- Function analysis of topographies of problem behavior
Classes taught or currently teaching:
- Applied Behavior Analysis in Autism and Developmental Disabilities (Instructor)
- Applied Behavior Analysis in Autism and Developmental Disabilities (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
- Practicum Seminar (Doctoral Teaching Assistant)
Danielle Russo, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Multidisciplinary school-based services
- Assessment and treatment of problem behavior
- Evidence-based staff training
- Early intervention
- Increasing quality of school-based behavioral assessment and intervention
Current Research Projects:
- Using class-wide intervention to increase handwashing in schools
- Review of multicomponent function-based interventions implemented by school personnel for students with disabilities
- Review of teacher training on use of function-based interventions for students with disabilities
- Evaluation of teacher-implemented latency-based functional analysis and intervention in the classroom setting
Classes taught or currently teaching:
- Functional Assessment (Teaching Assistant)
- Behavior Modification (Teaching Assistant
- Practicum Seminar in ABA (Co-Instructor)
- Practicum Seminar in ABA (Instructor)
2019 Cohort

Amalix Flores, MS, BCBA
Research Interests:
- Translational Research
- Adventitious reinforcement of problem behavior/ errors
- High-Probability Instructional Sequence Procedural Variations and Effectiveness
Research Projects Underway:
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High-Probability Instructional Sequence: A Review on Current Procedural Variations
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A Survey on Current Practices for Designing and Implementing High-Probability Instructional Sequences
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The Effects of Choice on High-Probability Instructional Sequence Effectiveness
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Assessment of the Reinforcer Value of High-Probability Instructional Sequence
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Behavioral Principles Survey
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Evaluating the Effects of Multiple Exemplar Training on Tact-to-Mand Transfer in Children with Autism
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Evaluating the Class Pass Intervention: Reducing Disruptive Behaviors of Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Classes taught or currently teaching:
- Single-Case Experimental Design
Child Clinical Psychology- Behavior Therapy
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Basic Statistics
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Psychology: Basic Process
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Behavior Modification
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Research Methods
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Health Socio-Anhropology
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Practicum Seminar in Applied Behavior Analysis
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Applied Behavior Analysis and Developmental Disabilities
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Practicum in Applied Behavior Analysis
2018 Cohort

Trevor Maxfield, Ms, BCBA
Research Interests:
-
Safety Skills
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Incorporation of technology into treatment
Research Projects Underway:
- An Investigation into the Effectiveness of Bullying Interventions: A Meta-Analysis
- Video Self-modeling to Teach Firearm Safety Skills
- Evaluation of Parent Implemented Web-Based Behavior Skills Training for Firearm Safety Skills Group Study
Classes taught or currently teaching:
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Practicum in Applied Behavior Analysis
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Research Methods and Ethical Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis
Program Graduates (by year)
2023
Rasha Baruni/ May - Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba
2022
Karie John/ May - Post-doc, May Institute
Daniel Kwak/ August - Post-doc, Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins Medical School
2021
Jennifer Cook/ Summer - Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba
Jesse DePaolo/ Summer - Assistant Professor, University of south Florida
Natalie Mandel/ Summer - Post-doc, May institute
2020
Marlesha Bell/ August - Assistant Professor, University of Pacific
Anthony Concepcion/ August - Assistant Professor, Program Chair, University of South Florida
Hannah MacNaul/ May - Assistant Professor, University of Texas-San Antonio
Bryon Miller/ August - Assistant Professor, Program Chair, University of South Florida
Heather Zerger/ August - Assistant Professor, University of South Florida
2019
Spencer Gauert/ December - Assistant Professor, University of Dayton
Jessica Moore/ May - Assistant Vice President of Clinical Services, Full Spectrum
Marissa Novotny/ May - Director of Clinical Excellence, DASH
Merritt Schenk/ August - Behavior Analyst
Lindsey Slattery/ May - Owner, Comprehensive Behavioral Consulting
Jennifer Weyman/ May - Assistant Professor, California State University Los Angeles
2018
Claudia Campos/ August - Assistant Professor, Simmons University
Anna Garcia/ May - Postdoctoral Researcher, Rightpath-University of South Florida
Cynthia Livingston/ August - Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Sindy Sanchez/ August - Owner, Comprehensive Behavioral Consulting
Leslie Singer/ December - Behavior Analyst, ABA Solutions
Diego Valbuena/ May - Owner, Comprehensive Behavioral Consulting
2017
Rocky Haynes/ May - Executive Director, Palma Academy
Mallory Quinn/ May - Owner, ABA Sports Innovations