Upstate Medical University’s Andrew Craig, chair of the Behavior Analysis Studies program in the College of Health Professions, has been awarded the Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship by SUNY Chancellor John King.

The award honors early career faculty whose scholarly or creative activities have already achieved significant recognition and, crucially, hold strong promise for field-defining impact in the future.

Ten professors from the SUNY system earned the inaugural award.

“SUNY is known for its exceptional research and scholarship, and the faculty members who earned this recognition are at the forefront of their fields,” King said. “Our inaugural Horizon awardees have already made a profound impact in their fields of study early in their careers, and by highlighting them we hope to inspire even more achievements in the years to come.”

Craig, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, is also an associate professor in the departments of Behavior Analysis Studies, Pediatrics, and Neuroscience and Physiology and is an integral part of the team at Upstate’s Golisano Center for Special Needs.

After earning his PhD in psychology at Utah State University, Craig spent one year as a postdoctoral associate at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center before coming to Upstate in 2018. He started at Upstate as a postdoctoral fellow in Pediatrics before being hired on as an assistant professor in Pediatrics and Behavior Analysis Studies in 2019.

Craig is the author of 44 peer-reviewed articles, chapters in 12 books and one of four editors of the book “Behavior analysis: Translational perspectives and clinical practice.” He has delivered 45 paper presentations, spoken more than 30 times on panels or as an invited speaker, and is currently principal investigator or co-investigator on three grants.

His research focuses on treatment and relapse of maladaptive behavior, impulsive decision-making, and drug self-administration. He also focuses on translational research in collaboration with other practicing behavior analysts who work with early learners with complex behavior concerns.
Such behaviors could include aggression, self-injury, property destruction or issues with feeding.

Through behavior analysis, practitioners provide evidence-based treatments to address clients’ behavior concerns but are often confronted with relapse of those behaviors when treatment is interrupted. Craig’s work is about understanding relapse and trying to prevent it.

“Probably the most impactful component of our research is trying to figure out how to prevent (relapse), to make sure the behavior change that we produce sticks,” Craig said.

Such behaviors, Craig said, often serve as a form of communication for children who otherwise have difficulty communicating their wants and needs. He said the families they work with are often in crisis because they have exhausted all other resources. When they start treatment at Golisano, they often see immediate improvement.

“The work that we do is so critical for the families we treat,” Craig said. “We have been able to set families and children on completely different trajectories and reduce barriers to success for those children and their families. The importance of the work that the teams here at Golisano do can’t be overstated. It is a critical resource to individuals in the community and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of this.”

Craig said that his role in conducting translational research, figuring out initial solutions to problems colleagues experience in their clinical practice, enables families to see immediate and lasting benefits for their loved ones.

“We can ensure that we are providing the highest-quality care for the individuals we work with that is based immediately on the science we conduct at Upstate,” he said. “It is incredible. We can do some cool research and help people in innovative and impactful ways.”

Craig said he is thrilled to be honored for his work but gives credit to the entire team at Golisano.
“I know that I received the award for my unique contributions, but we are a team at the Golisano Center,” Craig said. “I don’t do this by myself. I do this with some of the smartest most compassionate and driven people I know. My team is everything.”

Caption: Andrew Craig, PhD, chair of the Behavior Analysis Studies program in the College of Health Professions, has been honored as an inaugural Horizon Award winner by the SUNY chancellor for his work on issues relating to treatment and relapse of maladaptive behavior.