Meet the Faculty

Supervising Faculty Members

Nneka Alexander, PhD, ABPP received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Florida and postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. She is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Dr. Alexander’s current clinical responsibilities include providing psychological support to families hospitalized on the cardiac units. She has spearheaded initiatives to make these units more developmentally appropriate, such as the creation of neuroprotective care rounds. Dr. Alexander also conducts outpatient neurodevelopmental assessments for infants and toddlers with congenital heart disease through the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program. Her research interests focus on parenting and development in children with chronic illness. She is board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

Summer Bottini, PhD, BCBA-D, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Binghamton University and completed post-doctoral residencies at the Marcus Autism Center and May Institute. Dr. Bottini is an Assistant Professor in the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and a Psychologist in the Severe Behavior Program at Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Bottini specializes in the assessment and treatment of externalizing behavior among individuals with developmental disabilities. Additionally, her work is focused on the effective supervision of clinicians to provide optimal care for autistic and neurodivergent individuals. This includes embedding a neurodiversity framework within clinical practices, addressing staff burnout, effective/efficient training methods, and treatment fidelity.

Bianca Brooks, PhD, ABPP is a licensed clinical psychologist and part of the assessment and diagnosis team at Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Brooks completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Georgia State University, where she studied ways to facilitate access to early intervention after diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She continued her passion for serving underserved communities and reducing disparities in mental healthcare access by completing an internship at Memphis Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center. She returned to Atlanta for her postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine and assisted with diagnostic services at Marcus Autism Center. In her current position, Dr. Brooks conducts diagnostic assessments of young children. She values exploring innovative techniques to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in accessing early intervention services for families.

Jessica Buzenski, PhD received her doctorate at East Carolina University. She completed her predoctoral internship training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Buzenski is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and Emory University Pediatric Institute. Clinically, she engages in assessment, intervention, and consultation with patients and their families for a variety of GI referral concerns. She supervises the Gastroenterology (GI) rotation including general GI, as well as the Neurogastroenterology and Motility interdisciplinary clinic. She also co-leads the Pediatric Psychology extern program.

Deva Carrion, PhD, BCBA-D earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Iowa. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Munroe-Meyer Institute and her postdoctoral experience at Marcus Autism Center. She is a licensed psychologist and doctorate-level, board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Carrion has more than 10 years of experience working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related developmental disabilities, particularly with individuals displaying challenging behaviors. She joined Marcus Autism Center in July 2018 in the School Consultation Program. She works with school districts as a behavioral consultant and trainer. She is responsible for providing direct behavioral consultation to school districts across Georgia, training teachers and paraprofessionals in principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), behavior management, developing individual education plan (IEP) goals and general classroom management strategies. Dr. Carrion’s research interests include assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in the school setting and training school-based professionals to conduct empirically based assessments and develop evidence-based treatments.

Trista Perez Crawford, PhD graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. She completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Dr. Perez Crawford is a pediatric psychologist in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Center of Behavioral and Mental Health Integrated Primary Care Program at Hughes Spalding and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Emory University School of Medicine. Her clinical interests are in the assessment and treatment of toddlers to young adults from historically underserved populations and Spanish speaking families with a range of psychological conditions, including behavioral issues, autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, internalizing disorders and adjustment to chronic medical conditions. Her research interests are in improving access to interventions for underserved populations. In addition to her clinical work and research, Dr. Perez Crawford, serves as a mentor to underrepresented minority undergraduate and medical students. 

Laura Dilly, PhD, ABPP, NCSP is the Training Director for the Doctoral Psychology Internship at the Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and an Assistant Professor at the Emory School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics. She received her doctorate in school psychology at Michigan State University in 2005. She completed her doctoral internship at the Houston Independent School District. Dr. Dilly then worked within the public school districts for 10 years as a lead psychologist and training coordinator. Dr. Dilly provides leadership to the interdisciplinary team within the Division of Behavioral Mental Health and conducts assessments of young children who are suspected to have an autism spectrum disorder. Her research interests involve the intersection of the school based and medically based services for children with autism spectrum disorders and work force development.

Lauren Esposito, PhD received her doctoral degree from the University of Georgia. She completed her predoctoral internship at University of Louisville School of Medicine/Norton Children’s Hospital, and her postdoctoral fellowship in Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Emory University School of Medicine/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Esposito is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). She provides assessment, intervention, and consultation for patients who have received a kidney or liver transplant and conducts pre-transplant evaluations for patients in need of a transplant.

Sarah Slocum Freeman, PhD, BCBA-D received her doctorate in Psychology at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Timothy Vollmer, BCBA-D. She was subsequently appointed as a Rollins College faculty member for two years before joining the Marcus Autism Center. In her clinical position in the Marcus Autism Center Severe Behavior Program, Dr. Slocum manages cases in the intensive outpatient program, coordinates employee supervision towards board certification as behavior analysts, and oversees the intake process for the Severe Behavior program. As a researcher in the Pediatrics Institute of Emory University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Slocum’s work focuses on behavior-analytic approaches to the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. Specifically, she is interested in further investigation into the variables that contribute to treatment effectiveness for problem behavior maintained by escape from aversive situations.

Sobha P. Fritz, PhD, ABPP received her doctorate from the University of Florida in Clinical Psychology, specializing in clinical child/pediatric psychology. She completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Florida School in Clinical and Health Psychology and postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Fritz is the lead Pediatric Psychologist within the Endocrinology Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and serves as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. She also holds a secondary appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Fritz provides care to children and teens with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as other endocrine conditions. Her clinical work includes consultation and therapy for patients and their families. She also works as part of a multidisciplinary team in the Type 2 diabetes clinic.

Elizabeth Greenfield, PhD completed her PhD in Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Greenfield completed her doctoral internship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and her postdoctoral residency program with the Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Greenfield is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics within the Emory University School of Medicine and a psychologist within the Early Intervention and Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis teams. Dr. Greenfield conducts diagnostic evaluations to assess for autism and collaborates with parents to help promote their child’s social communication skills.

Kristina R. Gerencser, PhD, BCBA-D, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and a board-certified behavior analyst doctorate (BCBA-D) and Program Manager for the Language and Learning Program at Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Gerencser has worked with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities in home-, center- and school-based programs targeting skill acquisition and reducing challenging behavior. Dr. Gerencser completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Marcus Autism Center in the Severe Behavior Program. She holds a doctorate in disability disciplines, with a specialization in applied behavior analysis from Utah State University, and received her master’s in behavior analysis from Western Michigan University.

Kristin Hathaway, PhD, BCBA earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Missouri. She completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Munroe-Meyer Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, with an emphasis in pediatric feeding disorders and interdisciplinary autism spectrum disorder evaluations. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Marcus Autism Center and the Center for Advanced Pediatrics through Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Hathaway is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia and a board-certified behavior analyst. As a psychologist for the Feeding Program, Dr. Hathaway conducts multidisciplinary feeding evaluations and provides behavioral intervention in the outpatient and day treatment programs.

Nicole Hendrix, PhD received her PhD in school psychology at the University of Iowa, where her training concentrated on assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental disabilities across the lifespan. She completed a doctoral internship at the Marcus Autism Center in the Language and Learning Clinic and Pediatric Feeding Program before then completing a postdoctoral fellowship in diagnostic services. Dr. Hendrix is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics within the Emory University School of Medicine and a psychologist on the assessment and diagnostic team. In her clinical role, she conducts diagnostic evaluations for children and adolescents. Dr. Hendrix’s research focuses on early assessment and intervention for at-risk populations, with current projects striving to better understand the development of nonverbal communication strategies within typical development and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Hannah Jones, PhD is a Child Clinical and Adolescent Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Behavioral Mental Health Center. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, she received her doctoral degree from University of Texas a Autism, doctoral internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, postdoctoral fellowship at Nemours Children’s Health, and then was a psychologist at Nemours. She specializes in providing outpatient therapy to youth who have experienced trauma. She is certified in an evidence-based intervention for treating post-traumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescent called Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT). Dr. Jones is also bilingual in Spanish and English and provides outpatient therapy services to Spanish-speaking families.

Cheryl Klaiman, PhD received her doctorate in School and Applied Child Psychology from McGill University under the mentorship of Jacob Burack. She completed her internship and post-doctoral training at the Yale Child Study Center where she worked with Drs. Ami Klin, Fred Volkmar, Robert Schultz and Sara Sparrow. She joined the faculty of the Yale Child Study Center as an Associate Research Scientist, and then relocated to California where she was the Director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Interdisciplinary Care Team at Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, CA. She joined the team at The Marcus Autism Center and Emory University in January of 2012 where she directs the FDA regulated clinical trial which is attempting to validate our eye-tracking work as a medical device. She also works on the clinical characterization team among other various research projects. Research interests include early diagnosis and screening of autism spectrum disorders, innovative treatment strategies and clinical trials.

Meena Khowaja, PhD (she/her/ella) received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University, where her research was focused on early identification of autism.  She completed her predoctoral internship focused on Integrated Behavioral Health at Nemours Children’s Health and her postdoctoral fellowship in Developmental Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Before transitioning the Marcus Autism Center in 2022, she worked at the Swank Autism Center within Nemours Children’s Health. Her training also included a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship while a graduate student at GSU and again as a postdoctoral fellow in Colorado. Dr. Khowaja’s role at MAC includes conducting psychological testing services through the Clinical Assessments and Diagnostics Program and parent-mediated NDBIs through the Early Intervention/ Project ImPACT program. She strives to continuously learn about and provide neurodiversity-affirming care. Additionally, she is a bilingual psychologist who provides assessment and therapy services in English and Spanish; she has a strong interest in supporting bilingual trainees and collaborating with other bilingual colleagues at MAC and across CHOA. She is also a member of several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) within CHOA to build community and connection

Meena Lambha, PhD completed her undergraduate training at the University of Georgia and earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Auburn University. She completed her internship at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Marcus Autism Center and Emory University. She briefly worked in private practice before returning to the Marcus Autism Center. At Marcus, she has conducted psychological assessments for families participating in various research studies as well as children seen through the clinic for concerns related to autism. She has also provided parent training services through the RUBI Parent Training program for children with autism presenting with behavioral difficulties. Currently, she continues to conduct psychological assessments with children suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder.

Emily Malugen, PhD, earned her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Missouri. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Munroe-Meyer Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, with an emphasis in pediatric feeding disorders and interdisciplinary autism spectrum disorder evaluations. She began her post-doctoral fellowship at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, and completed her fellowship at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program. Dr. Malugen is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia. As a psychologist for the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program, Dr. Malugen conducts feeding evaluations and provides behavioral intervention in the Day Treatment and Outpatient Programs.

Colin Muething, PhD, BCBA-D received his doctorate in school psychology from University of Texas-Austin, after having completed a master’s degree in special education from University of Georgia. His research involves evaluating assessments and treatment for problem behavior across a large sample of individuals. Having completed his doctoral internship and postdoctoral residency at Marcus Autism Center, he is currently an associate professor and initially joined the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine in 2017. He is the Director of the Complex Behavior Support Department.

Kristin Niel, PhD received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Mailman Center for Child Development/University of Miami Health Systems, and her two-year postdoctoral clinical-research fellowship at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Niel is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). She provides consultation-liaison and psychotherapy services across inpatient and outpatient settings for patients on the Advanced Cardiac Therapies service, as well as in Heart Failure and Heart Transplant Clinics. Dr. Niel also completes pre-heart transplant clinical evaluations that include brief neurocognitive screening. In addition, Dr. Niel has a specific interest in contributing to the reduction of health disparities, providing culturally humble mental health care within the context of interdisciplinary medical teams, and working to highlight and dismantle the structures and systems that create and perpetuate health inequities.

Kaitlin Proctor, PhD earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Auburn University. She completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and her postdoctoral residency at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, in partnership with Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Proctor received training in the area of pediatric psychology, which focuses on children’s behavioral, developmental and psychosocial functioning in the context of pediatric healthcare. As a licensed clinical psychologist in the Feeding Program, Dr. Proctor provides multidisciplinary assessment services, as well as intervention services in the day treatment and outpatient programs. Dr. Proctor is also certified in parent-child interaction therapy, an evidence-based parent training intervention for disruptive behaviors or noncompliance in young children.

Alexis Quinoy, PhD, ABPP, CBIS received her doctorate in Clinical Child Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Children’s Hospital Colorado and her postdoctoral fellowship at University of Florida College of Medicine. She is board certified in child and adolescent psychology and is a certified brain injury specialist. She is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) where her clinical work focuses on rehabilitation psychology. Dr. Quinoy provides assessment, intervention, and consultation pertaining to a wide variety of illness and injuries that impact the central and peripheral nervous systems within the Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (CIRU) and in the Day Rehabilitation Program (DRP). She is also the co-chair for Children’s Injury Prevention Program (CHIPP).

Bonney Reed, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified clinical health psychologist. Dr. Reed’s primary research and clinical interests include using evidence-based assessment and treatment strategies to address symptoms and distress experienced by youth with gastrointestinal conditions. Dr. Reed has an active behavioral health research program aiming to develop and test novel psychological treatments for youth with gastrointestinal conditions. Dr. Reed supervises trainees through her clinical research program on the Gastroenterology rotation. Dr. Reed also serves as the Pediatric Psychology Program Manager, Center for Behavioral and Mental Health.

Emily Kate Rubio, PhD, BCBA earned her doctorate in School Psychology from Georgia State University. She completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Marcus Autism Center and the Center for Advanced Pediatrics through Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Rubio is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia and a board-certified behavior analyst. As a psychologist for the Feeding Program, Dr. Rubio conducts multidisciplinary feeding evaluations and provides behavioral intervention in the outpatient and day treatment programs.

Mindy Scheithauer, PhD, BCBA, ABPP received her PhD from Louisiana State University with a dual emphasis in Clinical and Biological Psychology and a minor emphasis in School Psychology. She completed a doctoral internship in the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute through Johns Hopkins University and a postdoctoral residency at Marcus Autism Center through Emory University. Dr. Scheithauer is an assistant professor in Pediatrics at Emory University and is a psychologist in the Severe Behavior Program. She oversees the Brief Behavior Intervention program (a primarily community-based treatment service) and supervises cases in the Severe Behavior Day Treatment program. Her current research focuses on automatically maintained problem behavior, assessment and treatment of elopement, and improving methods for observational data collection. Her future research goals include clinical trials of specific behavioral treatments and the study of applied behavioral pharmacology through the use of functional analyses in drug trials. Dr. Scheithauer assists with the supervision and training of doctoral and postdoctoral training.

Kindell Schoffner, PsyD received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, with specialization in child and adolescent/pediatric psychology. She completed her predoctoral internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital/The Ohio State University School of Medicine, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory School of Medine. She is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Dr. Schoffner provides assessment, intervention, and consultation pertaining to a wide variety of illness and injuries that impact the central and peripheral nervous systems within the Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (CIRU) and in the Day Rehabilitation Program (DRP), as well as genetic conditions that impact the development of internal and external reproductive systems in the interdisciplinary Differences in Sex Development (DSD) clinic. Dr. Schoffner participates in several hospital committees and is the co-chair of the Motor Vehicle Collision Taskforce at CHOA. In addition to her clinical and advocacy work, she is highly dedicated to training and mentoring psychology students at all levels of their education. She is the Pediatric Psychology Training Coordinator at CHOA.

William G. Sharp, PhD is the Director of the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at the Marcus Autism Center and an Assistant Professor in the Division of Autism and Related Disorders in the Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine. He received his doctorate from The University of Mississippi in 2006, with an emphasis in pediatric and clinical child psychology. Dr. Sharp completed a doctoral internship and a post-doctoral fellowship at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, where he focused on the application of behaviorally-based interventions for severe behavior problems, feeding issues, anxiety and sleep difficulties. His current research interests include the assessment and treatment of feeding disorders among children with autistic spectrum disorders, the impact of antecedent manipulations in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders, and the use of parent training to address feeding difficulties.

Jennifer L. Stapel-Wax, PsyD received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology in 1998. She completed her doctoral internship at Miami Children’s Hospital and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Emory University School of Medicine at the Marcus Center. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, she directed a statewide evaluation project for children with complex neurodevelopmental disorders, conducting neurodevelopmental assessments with young children and supervising dozens of trainees. Dr. Stapel-Wax also taught graduate clinical psychology at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. She currently is the Director of Infant and Toddler Clinical Research and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and is a Past President of the Georgia Psychological Association. Her current clinical and research interests lie in teaching and training, assessment of young children and community implementation of scientifically based methods of screening, assessment and intervention.

Kathryn Holman Stubbs, PhD received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. She completed her doctoral internship at Munroe Meyer Institute (University of Nebraska Medical Center) and her fellowship through Emory University School of Medicine at the Marcus Autism Center in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program. She is currently a senior psychologist in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program where she works with children and families to develop effective treatments to improve mealtime behavior in the day treatment and outpatient programs and provides consultation in pediatric gastroenterology clinics. She supervises predoctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows in the intensive day treatment program for children with feeding disorders. Her clinical and research interests have focused on the assessment and treatment of children with pediatric feeding disorders as well as treatment adherence in pediatric populations.

Renee Ussery, PsyD received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Argosy University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in private practice and the Marcus Autism Center. For the next several years, Dr. Ussery completed psychological evaluations with children and adolescents in private practice In 2008, Dr. Ussery rejoined Marcus Autism Center where she continued to complete assessments with school aged children within the Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Center. She coordinates training experiences that involve conducting comprehensive psychological assessments for children and adolescents who present with complex histories and differential diagnosis is essential.

Valerie Volkert, PhD, BCBA-D is a psychologist program manager in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at Marcus Autism Center. She also holds the position of Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Emory University School of Medicine. She received her doctorate in school psychology from Louisiana State University, completed a doctoral internship at the Marcus Institute and a postdoctoral residency at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. She was faculty at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for seven years and during that time she was President of the Heartland Association for Behavior Analysis (2009-2011) and training director for the MSIA PhD program in ABA and Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology in the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (2012-2015). An active clinician, teacher and researcher, she sees patients in the outpatient clinics of the Feeding program, supervises interns and fellows and pursues lines of clinical research. Of particular interest are treatments to increase advanced feeding skills (e.g., self-feeding and chewing).

Addam Wawrzonek, PhD, BCBA, earned his doctorate in school psychology from Michigan State University. He completed both his year-long doctoral internship as well as his year-long postdoctoral residency in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Marcus Autism Center through Emory University’s Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Wawrzonek first began working with children with autism and developmental disabilities in 2010. Since then , he has worked in both clinical and school settings, focusing on early language and learning intervention, treatment for severe behavior, and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. Currently, Dr. Wawrzonek specializes in providing behavioral based interventions for children with food refusal and aversion, with an additional focus on acceptance and chewing of regular textured foods.

Stormi Pulver White, PsyD is a psychologist program manager in the Clinical Assessments and Diagnostics Program at the Marcus Autism Center. She also holds the position of Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Emory University School of Medicine. She pursued her doctorate in school psychology from University at Albany, State University of New York. Dr. White completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), focusing on early identification of autism. Additionally, Dr. White completed a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship while at Vanderbilt. Before joining Marcus Autism Center, Dr. White was an Assistant Professor at University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW), where she held administrative titles of head of psychology and co-clinical director in the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities (CADD). Dr. White’s clinical and research interests include early identification and intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as clinical characterization of rare variant disorders.

Latasha Woods, PhD is a licensed psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. She earned her doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Woods completed her pre-doctoral internship at Marcus Autism Center and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, during which she served on the clinical assessment and research teams. As a part of the assessment and diagnosis team at Marcus Autism Center, Dr. Woods specializes in conducting diagnostic assessments with children, adolescents and young adults, and providing evidence-based treatment to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Woods is a certified Research Units in Behavioral Intervention (RUBI) therapist with the RUBI Autism Network. Prior to entering clinical practice, Dr. Woods spent more than a decade serving children and families in schools as a certified school psychologist and classroom teacher.

Rachel Yosick, PsyD, BCBA-D, is a licensed psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst–doctoral in the Language and Learning Program at Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Yosick completed her doctorate in clinical child psychology at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology and obtained her certification in applied behavior analysis from Florida Institute of Technology. She completed her doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Marcus Autism Center and Emory University School of Medicine, where she gained extensive experience working with children affected by autism and significant language delays, severe problem behavior, and feeding difficulties.

Andrea Zawoyski, PhD, BCBA-D received her PhD in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in School Psychology at the University of Georgia. She completed internship training at the Munroe Meyer Institute Behavioral Pediatrics and Integrated Care Program and completed postdoctoral training at Cherokee Health Systems in Integrated Health Psychology and Developmental Psychology. She was limited-term Assistant Professor in the Special Education Department at the University of Georgia before transitioning to a role as an Assistant Research Scientist at the Center for Autism and Behavioral Education Research. There, she provided clinical supervision to graduate students in applied behavior analysis and school psychology in their practicum experiences and conducted autism spectrum disorder evaluations. Currently, Dr. Zawoyski works in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Behavioral and Mental Health outpatient clinic at Chantilly, providing psychotherapy to children and adolescents for a wide range of presenting behavioral and mental health concerns. She also works in integrated pediatric primary care at the Hughes Spalding Primary Care clinic, where she provides brief assessment and intervention to children and adolescents to address behavioral and mental health concerns that arise during their primary care visits. She also conducts expedited autism spectrum disorder evaluations for toddlers. Dr. Zawoyski is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, utilizing this modality for young children presenting with disruptive behavior. In addition, she utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a primary treatment modality for older children and adolescents.

Contributing Faculty Members

Nathan A. Call, PhD received his PhD in School Psychology from the University of Iowa in 2003 under the mentorship of David P. Wacker, PhD He completed a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and Center for Disabilities & Development and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Marcus Institute and Emory University under the supervision of Wayne Fisher, PhD, and Henry S. Roane, PhD After working as an assistant professor at Louisiana State University from 2004-2006, Dr. Call returned to the Marcus Autism Center where he is currently the Clinical Director for the center. Dr. Call’s current research interests include the assessment and treatment of severe behavior disorders. This interest includes identifying the basic behavioral mechanisms that influence the occurrence of problem behavior, as well as the variables that impact the integrity with which caregivers implement treatment recommendations. Dr. Call has an active publication agenda that includes publishing and presenting research in applied behavior analytic forums.

John Constantino, MD is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of behavioral and mental health conditions of children and adolescents. Dr. Constantino received his medical education at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and completed a five-year combined residency in Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. As Chief of Behavioral and Mental Health and Liz and Frank Blake Chair for Children’s Behavioral and Mental Health, Dr. Constantino seeks to innovate behavioral health practice, resolve fragmentation in the delivery of care, enhance access to interventions of proven benefit, and improve long-term mental health outcomes for children and adolescents throughout Georgia. Prior to joining Children’s, Dr. Constantino served as Psychiatrist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, as well as the Blanche F. Ittleson Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he directed the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for the past 12 years.

Klin, PhD is the Director of the Marcus Autism Center and Professor and Chief of the Division of Autism and Related Disorders in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Klin is an internationally recognized psychologist and researcher. His primary research activities focus on developmental social neuroscience; specifically on visual engagement of individuals with autism from infancy through adulthood. In his most noted work, Klin uses eye-tracking technology to visualize and measure social engagement, allowing him to monitor infants who potentially have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His research goal is to identify individuals with and at risk for ASD as early as possible so that potential therapies can have their maximal effect. He serves as Chief Psychologist of the Internship.

Joanna Lomas Mevers, PhD, BCBA-D received her doctorate in school psychology from Louisiana State University, under the mentorship of Jeffery Tiger, PhD and George Noell, PhD. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Marcus Autism Center and Emory University under the supervision of Nathan Call, PhD. Dr. Lomas Mevers is currently the Director of the severe behavior program and is responsible for working with families and clinicians to develop effective behavioral interventions that decrease challenging behaviors and replace them with appropriate behaviors. In addition to her clinical duties she also provides training for doctoral and postdoctoral trainees. Dr. Lomas Mevers’ current research interests include increasing the social validly of behavioral interventions, increasing efficiencies in caregiver training, treatment of enuresis and encopresis.

David J. Marcus, PhD, ABPP/CN is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He received his doctorate in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2005, completed an internship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (through University of Pennsylvania) and a fellowship at National Children’s Medical Center in Washington, DC. Active as a clinical teacher, he supervises graduate practicum students, interns, residents and fellows. Dr. Marcus’ areas of interest include pediatric epilepsy, spina bifida, and genetic and metabolic disorders.

David O’Banion, MD, FAAP, attended University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio, and matched to Oregon Health Science University's pediatric residency program, where his mentors helped shape his interests in relational health, parenting, adverse childhood experiences and difficult behaviors. He then pursued a fellowship in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma. Upon finishing fellowship, he followed his wife to London in her pursuit of a master’s in public health for eye care. There, he was a research assistant and co-authored a parenting support program for cerebral palsy in Ghana.

Helen Panarites, MD, received her medical degree from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. She completed her adult psychiatric residency training at the New York Hospital-Westchester Division in White Plains, N.Y. In 1992, she moved to Atlanta for her child psychiatry residency training at Emory University School of Medicine. After training, Dr. Panarites continued as a faculty member at Emory University, working with children and adolescents with a wide range, psychiatric, behavioral and developmental disabilities. She had a position as assistant professor of psychiatry and served as the medical director of the Grady Health System Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. During her time with Grady Health System, Dr. Panarites helped develop a school-based partnership with Atlanta Public Schools, setting up psychiatric teams that provided direct in-school services to several elementary schools. The school-based clinic was effective in improving access to mental health care for children in high-risk schools.