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Andrew Craig, PhD, Interim Chair

Dr. Henry S. Roane

Dr. Andrew Craig currently is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Behavior Analysis Studies, and Neuroscience and Physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University (UMU). He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from West Virginia University in 2011. In 2013, he received a Master of Science degree in Psychology from Utah State University, where he later completed his doctoral training in 2017.  Dr. Craig’s research focuses on understanding variables that contribute to persistence and relapse of operant behavior, impulsivity, and choice between competing sources of rewards. Based on his work as an early career investigator, he was awarded the B. F. Skinner Foundation New Researcher Award from Division 25 of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2020. Dr. Craig currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, an Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and a guest Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He is also a Board Director for the Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior and a Member at Large for Division 25 of the APA.

At UMU, he is Director for Research in the Golisano Center for Special Needs, a multidisciplinary clinic focused on providing comprehensive services for pediatric populations with specialized needs such as intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), developmental delays, and physical disabilities. Dr. Craig is also the Chair of the Behavior Analysis Studies Program, which is a master’s-degree program that equips students with the practical knowledge and skills necessary to function as applied behavior analysts. In his clinical research, he aims to apply his expertise to better understand the factors that affect the success of treatments for problem behavior in individuals with IDD. Additionally, he co-ordinates the Behavior Analysis Murine laboratory at UMU, which is dedicated to translational research and bridge studies between behavior analysis, neuroscience, and genetics.

Henry S. Roane, PhD, BCBA-D,

Dr. Henry S. Roane

Dr. Henry Roane received his Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Louisiana State University. He completed a pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Roane has held previous clinical and faculty positions at the Marcus Institute/Emory University School of Medicine and the Munroe-Meyer Institute/University of Nebraska Medical Center. At present, Dr. Roane is the Gregory S. Liptak MD Professor of Child Development in the Department of Pediatrics at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse NY. In addition to serving as Chair of the Behavior Analysis program at Upstate, Dr. Roane also serves as the Chief of the Division of Development, Behavior and Genetics where he directs medical and behavior analysis clinics that provide treatment services for children affected by autism and related disorders.

Dr. Roane is the Editor-in-Chief of Behavioral Development, an academic journal published by the American Psychological Association. He is a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis in Practice, and serves on the Editorial Boards of several journals in the field. Dr. Roane serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts and the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and he has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. Dr. Roane has co-authored over 75 research articles and chapters as well as three academic texts on the assessment and treatment of behavior disorders in children with autism and related disorders. He also has been the principle or a co-investigator on grants funded by National Institute of Health, the US Department of Defense, and the New York State Department of Health and serves as a consultant to programs nationwide.

William E. Sullivan, PhD, faculty

Dr. William Sullivan

Dr. Sullivan received his Ph.D. in School Psychology with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Syracuse University. He completed his pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Previously, Dr. Sullivan held an adjunct faculty position in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Syracuse University and served as a clinical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Currently, he holds faculty positions within the Department of Pediatrics and Behavior Analysis Studies at SUNY Upstate Medical University, and is an adjunct instructor in the Department of Psychology at SUNY Cortland.

Dr. Sullivan primarily conducts bi-directional translational research. That is, he is interested in translating findings from basic-operant research into effective interventions for challenging behavior, as well as examining clinical problems under basic paradigms to better understand the mechanisms responsible for behavior change. Dr. Sullivan's studies have been published in a number of reputable peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Additionally, he has co-authored several chapters on the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. Dr. Sullivan serves on the board of editors for Behavioral Development and Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and has served as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Journal of Behavioral Education, Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology Review, Behavioral Development, Disability and Health Journal, and Journal of Pediatrics.

Jason R. Zeleny, MS, BCBA, faculty

Jason Zeleny, MS, BCBAMr. Zeleny earned his Master’s degree in 2014 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He previously served as a master’s-level board-certified behavior analyst at the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program in Omaha, NE. Mr. Zeleny moved to the Syracuse area in 2020 to join Upstate’s Golisano Center for Special Needs and the Department of Pediatrics. His research interests include the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders, with an emphasis on the generalization and maintenance of treatment gains made in specialized clinical environments to the natural setting through the use of telemedicine. He also has an interest in research on teaching chewing and lateralization skills to children diagnosed with moderate to severe feeding disorders and has published several scientific research articles in various journals throughout his career. Mr. Zeleny also functions as a practicum instructor and thesis advisor as part of Upstate Medical University’s Behavior Analysis Studies Program.

Christina Alaimo, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, faculty

Christina Alaimo, PhDDr. Christina Alaimo is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and NYS Licensed Behavior Analyst with a NYS limited permit to practice psychology. She received her doctorate in behavior analysis from The Graduate Center, City University of New York in 2021, and joined Upstate Golisano Center for Special Needs and the Department of Pediatrics in February of 2022. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of a range of pediatric feeding disorders. Her research has primarily focused on staff and caregiver training in interventions to treat children’s food refusal and selectivity. Dr. Alaimo also has extensive experience in the treatment of clinical range maladaptive and challenging behaviors, as well as skill acquisition (e.g., functional communication) for children with developmental disorders.

Sean Smith, PhD, BCBA-D, faculty

Sean SmithDr. Sean Smith received his Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute. Dr. Smith’s training has focused on the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior: He completed clinical practicums at the Severe Behavior Program at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the Severe Behavior Program at the Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services. Dr. Smith completed postdoctoral training at the University of Florida, during which he created an intensive outpatient Problem Behavior Assessment and Treatment Program at the University of Florida's Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. Currently, Sean is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where he is developing a Biobehavioral Health Unit (BBHU) focused on the assessment and treatment of severe behavior of individuals diagnosed with comorbid mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Dr. Smith’s research focuses on the assessment and treatment of problem behavior, treatment relapse, and the quantitative analysis of behavior. Dr. Smith’s research won the Nevin Award from the Society for the Quantitative Analysis of behavior, and his research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including his field’s flagship journals, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Dr. Smith has also published multiple chapters in edited books. Dr. Smith has served on the board of editors for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and he has served as an ad-hoc reviewer for numerous other behavior analytic journals.

Courtney Mauzy, PhD, BCBA, faculty

Courtney Mauzy, PhDDr. Mauzy earned his Master’s degree in 2013 from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, specializing in the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in School Psychology from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. He completed his pre- and post-doctoral fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics at the Marcus Autism Center. While at the Marcus Autism Center, he managed cases and supervised in the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior. Currently he holds a faculty position within the department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Dr. Mauzy is primarily interested in conducting translational research of phenomena related to the assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior. Specifically, he focuses on human operant arrangements that mimic or simulate arrangements from either the clinical world or from basic-operant research. Currently, his research is focusing on factors that contribute to behavioral persistence and preventing behavioral relapse.

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