Graduate Students
Janae’ Pendergrass: Janae’ earned her B.S. in Psychology from Spelman College in 2021. After graduating, she worked as a post-baccalaureate research fellow in the Single Subject Research Lab (SSRL) at Marcus Autism Center where she conducted functional analyses, and provided treatment to children with escape-maintained challenging behavior. She simultaneously worked as an RBT in the Language and Learning Center at Marcus. Her research interests are in the development of a method to detect changes in behavioral sensitivity when individuals are in a state of pain or discomfort. She is also interested in the use of a participatory research approach to promote cooperation with hair grooming procedures among children with autism spectrum disorder.
Nicole Perrino: Nicole received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2022. After graduating, she worked as a Registered Behavior Technician at the Florida Autism Center Specialty Clinics in the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Program. Her clinical experience includes working with children with feeding disorder, and her primary research focus includes caregiver training, oral hygiene, and treatment integrity.
Laura De Zayas: Laura received her B.A. from Florida International University in 2019. During this time, she volunteered at the IBIS clinic at the University of Miami and became a BCaBA. She then received her M.S. in Behavior Analysis from the University of South Florida and became a BCBA in 2022. She has experience working with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Her research interests include conversation skills, social skills, social validity, and preferences.
Arielle Marshall: Arielle earned her B.A. in Psychology and her M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Rutgers University. As an undergraduate, she volunteered as a research assistant at the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services. During her graduate studies, she completed her master’s thesis under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Mitteer and Dr. Brian Greer, while also working as a Program Coordinator at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, where she supported adults with autism spectrum disorder and challenging behaviors. Her research interests focus on the relapse of problem behavior, preference assessments, reinforcement schedules, and the assessment and treatment of problem behaviors.
Post-Doctoral Associates
Angie Van Arsdale: Dr. Angie Van Arsdale received her B.S. in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Florida in 2017. She then obtained her M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis and Clinical Science from Rollins College and her BCBA certification in 2019. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Florida in 2024 under the advisement of Dr. Vollmer. She is currently an Adjunct Clinical Post-Doctoral Associate and serves as a Clinical Supervisor in the Intensive Pediatric Feeding Clinic at the University of Florida Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. Her primary research focus is in the area of pediatric feeding disorders, specifically treatment efficacy, generalization, and staff training.
Kacie McGarry: Dr. Kacie McGarry received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology in 2019 and 2022, respectively. She is a behavior analyst at the Problem Behavior Assessment and Treatment Clinic. Dr. McGarry has clinical experience working with individuals who engage in dangerous and destructive behaviors. Her current research interests involve rare genetic diseases, multidisciplinary care, training, and assessing and treating dangerous behavior.
Justin Han: Dr. Justin B. Han received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his M.S. in counseling with option in applied behavior analysis at California State University, Los Angeles under the mentorship of Dr. Michele Wallace. He completed his Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis at the University of South Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Bloom. Dr. Han is currently a postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida. He is a behavior analyst at the Behavior Assessment and Treatment Clinic at the University of Florida Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. His research interest includes assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, interdisciplinary care for comorbid diagnoses, social validity, and relapse.
Ronald Clark: Dr. Ronald J. Clark earned his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in Psychology with a Research Concentration. He continued his studies with a Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis & Organizational Behavior Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2018. He is completing his doctoral degree from the Florida Institute of Technology and will transition into a postdoctoral associate position at the University of Florida. RJ currently serves as a Behavior Analyst in the Intensive Pediatric Feeding Clinic at the University of Florida Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. His clinical experiences have focused on working with children with feeding concerns at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and The Scott Center for Autism Treatment. RJ has served as a Clinical Director for children with ASD in an early intervention clinic and currently serves on the executive council for the Greater Gainesville Applied Behavior Analysis FABA chapter. His current research interests focus on the training of staff and caregivers in pediatric feeding, understanding the properties of food that contribute to food selectivity, and the efficacy and efficiency of behavioral treatments across pediatric feeding concerns.
Affiliate Faculty
Kerri Peters: Dr. Kerri P. Peters earned her Masters degree in Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas in 2007 and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2013. Dr. Peters is a Behavior Analyst for the UF Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment (UF Health CAN) and collaborates with the UF BARC as the Clinical and Research Director. Dr. Peters’ primary area of clinical research is applied behavior analysis, with emphases in the areas of intellectual disabilities and autism, the effects of positive reinforcement, and parenting. Dr. Peters was the recipient of the Henry C. and Audrey S. Schumacher Fellowship demonstrating outstanding scientific promise. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Behavioral Development, and as a Member at Large for the Florida Association for Behavioral Analysis Executive Committee. She also serves on the steering committee, clinical and research task forces for the UF Health CAN.
Research & Visiting Professors
Vivian F. Ibañez: Vivian is the program coordinator for the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at the Florida Autism Center’s Specialty Clinic within the University of Florida Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. Before this role, she was a senior behavior analyst in the Intensive Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at Children’s Specialized Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Child Neurology, and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Division in Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University. She also held an appointment as an affiliate faculty member of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. Dr. Ibañez received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland College Park (2009), a Master’s in Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (2014), and a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (2017) under the supervision of Dr. Cathleen Piazza. Dr. Ibañez received clinical and research training at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Day-treatment and inpatient feeding programs and the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Day-treatment feeding program. She later completed postdoctoral training at the University of Florida, where she directed the Behavior Analysis Research Clinic’s feeding services under Dr. Timothy Vollmer’s supervision. Dr. Ibañez’s research focuses on the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders with an emphasis on areas that have a direct clinical impact on the children and families who serve as participants. Dr. Ibañez has authored book chapters and training manuals in addition to publications in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Development Bulletin, for which she has also served as a guest reviewer.
Faris R. Kronfli: Faris received his master’s degree in Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2014 and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2019. His research has included the assessment and treatment of problem behavior among at-risk youth and individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While at the University of Florida, Dr. Kronfli helped establish a social skills clinic for adolescents and adults on the spectrum and has continued to focus on developing programs to support individuals as they transition to adulthood. He was the recipient of the 2018 B.F. Skinner Foundation Florida Graduate Student Research Award, the 2019 Christopher Rubow Memorial Award, and the 2023 Charles Kimber Public Service Award. Dr. Kronfli serves in an editorial role for a number of behavior analytic journals including Behavior Analysis in Practice and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He is currently the program coordinator for the Behavior Analysis Research Clinic’s school-based consultation program and an Assistant Instructional Professor.