Investigators

 

Name  Title Focus areas Email
Bigelow, Kathryn Associate Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project
  • Early childhood language and social-emotional development
  • Evidence-based interventions for parents, care providers, home visitors, and early intervention providers
kbigelow@ku.edu
Boyd, Brian Associate Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project
  • Development and evaluation of evidence-based behavioral interventions for children with ASD
  • Restricted repetitive behaviors in ASD
brian.boyd@ku.edu
Brady, Nancy Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing
  • Development of pre-speech communication
  • Relation of pre-speech communication to language development
  • Interventions promoting language
nbrady@ku.edu
Brumberg, Jonathan Associate Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing
  • Computational neuroscience of speech motor control
  • Neurological mechanisms underlying speech and communication and their use in brain-machine interfaces
brumberg@ku.edu
Butler, Merlin Professor, Psychiatry and Pediatrics
  • Genetics of obesity with emphasis on Prader-Willi syndrome, autism, psychiatric and behavioral genetics
  • Natural history and delineation of rare and uncommon clinical genetics syndromes
mbutler4@kumc.edu
Buzhardt, Jay Associate Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project
  • Implementation, usability and effectiveness of technology-based intervention, assessment, and training
jaybuz@ku.edu
Carlson, Susan Distinguished Professor, Dietetics and Nutrition
  • Maternal and infant nutririon
  • Prenatal and postnatal interventions to promote positive pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes
scarlson@kumc.edu
Carlsten Christianson, Julie Anna Associate Professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology
  • Effect of early life stress and later outcomes
  • Pharmacological and lifestyle interventions to address effects of early stress
jchristianson@kumc.edu
Carta, Judith Professor, Special Education
  • Interventions to mitigate the effects of poverty on children's outcomes
  • Developing practices that teachers and parents can use to promote children's language, early literacy, and social outcomes
carta@ku.edu
Christenson, Lane Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology
  • Mechanisms and events affecting follicular development and luteal tissue formation during the periovulatory period
lchristenson@kumc.edu
Colombo, John Professor, Psychology
  • Neurocognitive development in infancy and early childhood
  • Evaluation of interventions to promote neurodevelopmental outcomes
colombo@ku.edu

Davis, Ann

Professor, Behavioral Pediatrics
  • Nutrition and obesity
  • Infant/toddler feeding problems
  • Disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety, and depression
adavis6@kumc.edu
Donnelly, Joseph Director, Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management
  • Weight management and obesity in typically developing and IDD populations
jdonnelly@ku.edu
Durham, Dianne Professor, Otolaryngology
  • Effects of altered auditory and vestibular experience on the CNS
  • CNS neuronal cell death

ddurham@kumc.edu
Fleming, Kandace Senior Scientist, Life Span Institute
  • Statistical methods with an emphasis on longitudinal methods and small (low incidence) samples
  • Structural modeling

kfleming@ku.edu
Greenwood, Charles
Professor, Applied Behavioral Sciences
  • Evidence-based interventions for education with typically-developing and IDD populations

greenwood@ku.edu
Gunewardena, Sumedha Research Assistant Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology
  • Bioinformatics and computational genomics: Modeling protein-DNA interactions
  • Biological sequence analysis
  • Microarray data analysis
  • Biological pathways and network analysis
  • Development of computational tools and databases

sgunewardena@kumc.edu
Hicks, Tyler
Assistant Research Professor, Life Span Institute
  •  Bayesian approaches to modeling data with reduced sample sizes

tahicks@ku.edu
Hock, Michael
Director, Center for Research on Learning
  • Development and validation of reading interventions in academically underprepared adolescents and adults
mhock@ku.edu

Hull, Holly

Associate Professor, Dietetics and Nutrition
  • Impact of the maternal environment on the health of mothers and offspring
hhull@kumc.edu
Irvin, Dwight Assistant Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project
  • Development of measurement approaches to capture movement and location in young children at-risk for or with IDD
dwirvin@ku.edu
Kurth, Jennifer Associate Professor, Special Education
  • Implementing inclusive education
  • Methods for providing appropriate supports and services for individual learners

jkurth@ku.edu

Lane, Kathleen
Professor, Special Education
  • Design, implementation, and evaluation of models of prevention to prevent the development of learning and behavior challenges

kathleen.lane@ku.edu
McCarson, Kenneth
Professor, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics
  • Neurobiology of pain
  • CNS plasticity
  • Behavioral assessment of rats or mice. Rodent models of Tourette Syndrome and undiagnosed genetic conditions in IDD
kmccarso@kumc.edu
Mosconi, Matthew
Professor, Applied Behavioral Sciences
  • Sensorimotor dysmaturation and underlying brain mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and FMR1 related disorders

mosconi@ku.edu
Nothnick, Warren
Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology
  • Physiology and pathophysiologies of the uterus/endometrium, with a primary focus on endometriosis

wnothnic@kumc.edu

Nudo, Randolph

Distinguished Professor, Landon Center on Aging
  • Translational science on clinical interventions for aging-related neurological disorders
  • Effects of rehabilitative training on functional plasticity after stroke

rnudo@kumc.edu

Paul, Soumen

Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
  • Transcriptional mechanisms that involve regulate gene expression during mammalian development 

spaul2@kumc.edu
Ptomey, Lauren 
Assistant Research Professor, Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management 
  • Impact of diet and physical activity on body composition, cognition, and metabolism in individuals with IDD

lptomey@ku.edu

Raza, Hashim 

Assistant Professor, Child Language Doctoral Program 
  • Genetic studies of specific language impairment

razam@ku.edu
Rice, Mabel  Distinguished Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing 
  • Language disorders in children
  • The genetics of language acquisition

mabel@ku.edu

Rouse, Adam 
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery 
  • Motor control of precise arm and finger movements
  • Brain-machine interfaces
  • Machine learning/data science for neurotechnology

arouse@kumc.edu

Saadi, Irfan Associate 

Professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology 
  • Genetic and molecular mechanisms of birth defects, with a focus on craniofacial malformation

isaadi@kumc.edu

Sailor, Wayne 

Professor, Special Education 
  • Multi-tiered systems of support and response to intervention
  • Schoolwide applications of positive behavior interventions and support for typically-developing and IDD populations

wsailor@ku.edu

Saunders, Kathryn 

Senior Scientist, Life Span Institute 
  • Interventions for and assessment of reading with IDD populations
  • Discrete trial instruction in ASD

ksaunders@ku.edu

Schnitz, Alana 

Assistant Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project
  • Teacher and parent training programs
  • Positive behavioral supports to families with typically-developing children and children with IDD

aschnitz@ku.edu

Shogren, Karrie 

Professor, Special Education 
  • Self-determination and systems of support for students with IDD
  • Contextual factors that impact outcomes for students with IDD

shogren@ku.edu

Smith, Peter 

Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology 
  • Autonomic neurobiology
  • Peripheral sensory axon growth
  • Neuroplasticity and regeneration
  • IDD

psmith@kumc.edu

Soares, Michael 

Distinguished Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 
  • Mechanisms of placental development
  • Effects of maternal environment on placental adaptations
  • Fetal adaptations and impacts on adult health and disease

msoares@kumc.edu

Storkel, Holly 

Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing 
  • Word learning in typically-developing populations
  • Word-learning deficits in children with language disorders
  • Development of effective treatments for language impairments

hstorkel@ku.edu

Thiemann-Bourque, Kathy 

Associate Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project 
 
  • Alternative and augmentative communication approaches to functional communication and reciprocal interactions between young children with ASD and classmates without disabilities in inclusive settings

thiemann@ku.edu
Thompson, James 
Professor, Special Education 
  • Support/needs assessment and planning with children and adults with IDD and related developmental disabilities

jrthomp@ku.edu

Veatch, Olivia 

Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  • Use of computational genetics, bioinformatics and in vitro studies to translate genetics data into clinically useful knowledge
  • Use of genetics to inform the treatment of disorders of the brain

oveatch@kumc.edu

Vivian, Jay 

Research Associate Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine 
  • Development of pluripotent stem cells and genetically modified mice for modeling rare undiagnosed neurodegenerative disorders

jvivian@kumc.edu

Walker, Dale 
Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children's Project 
  • Effects of early experience and caregiver-child interaction on language development and school performance
  • Development and evaluation of interventions for promotion of language in typically-developing and IDD populations

walkerd@ku.edu
Warren, Steven 
Distinguished Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing 
  • Communication and language development in children with IDD
  • Effects of different types of communication and language interventions and the manner in which children with specific disorders (e.g. Down syndrome, FXS) respond to these interventions

sfwarren@ku.edu
Wehmeyer, Michael 
Distinguished Professor, Special Education 
  • Self-determination, positive psychology and disability
  • Education and inclusion of students with extensive support needs
  • Technology use by people with cognitive disabilities

mlw@ku.edu

Wills, Howard  

Associate Professor, Educational Pscyhology 
  • Evidence-based academic and behavioral interventions for students with challenging behavior
  • Development and evaluation of multi-tiered systems of support and classroom management interventions
  • Technology based self-monitoring to support children and adults with IDD

hpwills@ku.edu

Zheng, X. Long

Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
  • Reproductive physiology
  • Protein c inhibitor in human reproduction abd fertilization
  • Reproductive endocrinology

xzheng2@kumc.edu