Meet The Experts
Deborah Fein, PhD, is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Psychological Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut. She has done clinical and research work on autism for the last 40 years.
Lynn Brennan, EdD, BCBA-D, LABA is a board-certified and licensed behavior analyst, based in Massachusetts, who has worked with children with autism spectrum disorders for more than 20 years.
Molly Helt, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience at Trinity College, and the parent of a child with autism.
Marianne Barton, PhD, is Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Connecticut, where she is also Director of the Psychological Services Clinic. She has done research and clinical work on autism and other developmental disorders for the past 25 years.
Thyde Dumont-Mathieu, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, a faculty member of the Division of Developmental and Rehabilitation Medicine at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a board-certified Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician.
Katharine Zuckerman, MD, is a general pediatrician and health services researcher, focusing on health care quality and disparities for children with autism spectrum disorder and other communication disorders in early childhood. She is especially interested in early identification of disabilities in low-income and racial/ethnic minoritized populations.
Yael Dai, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on improving interventions for autistic children and their caregivers and developing telehealth programs that are poised for broad dissemination in order to reduce barriers to intervention access.
Natalia A. Suarez Martinez, MA, is a Research Assistant who supports Dr. Dumont-Mathieu’s research at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. She supports translation/interpretation, recruitment and focus group facilitation for the OPT-In Early Project.
Luis Rivas Vazquez, BS, is a Senior Research Assistant who works in the Department of Pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University. His efforts are focused on multi-lingual qualitative research, translation/interpretation to Spanish, and general project administration.
Gabrielle Michel, BA, is a research assistant and clinical psychology graduate student who works with Dr. Deborah Fein at the University of Connecticut. Her efforts are focused on website design and maintenance, along with project coordination for Opt-In-Early.
Rosalie Chuckta, BS, is a Senior Research Associate who supports Dr. Dumont-Mathieu’s research at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. She supports project administration for the OPT-In Early project.