Lead Investigators and Team Members
Dr. Lisa Ruble is the Earl F. Smith Distinguished Professor of Special Education and Autism in the Teachers College at Ball State University. Dr. Ruble teaches classes in autism and intervention. She is a past recipient of the New Investigator Award from NIMH. In 2002, Dr. Ruble established the STAR Program at the University of Louisville and in 1998 helped establish TRIAD at Vanderbilt University. Her research program is based on these past experiences as a Licensed Psychologist when she developed and provided social skills and behavioral interventions, school consultation and training, and parent training. These experiences influenced her interest in services research and the study of issues involved in the provision of evidence-based practices in community-based settings.
Dr. John McGrew earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University Bloomington. Currently, he is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Dr. McGrew has been principal or co-principal investigator of eleven grants and co-investigator on an additional nine grants in the area of autism and mental health services. Dr. McGrew has published over 80 articles in books or professional journals and made more than 100 presentations at national and regional conferences at national and regional conferences.
Dr. Michelle Pensec Salyers is a Professor of Psychology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), where she directs the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. She also directs the ACT Center of Indiana, a collaboration of academic and community partners, including researchers, administrators, clinicians, consumers, and family members who share an interest in recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices. The overarching goal of her work is to help adults with severe mental illness live meaningful lives in the community. Her research addresses both consumers of mental health services and the treatment providers and programs that serve them. She is increasingly targeting the interaction of consumers and providers, looking for the best ways to support relationships that promote recovery and well-being. Her current work involves developing effective ways to reduce staff burnout and to increase shared decision-making in mental health care.
Dr. Lindsey Ogle earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from Indiana University Bloomington. Currently, she is working as a Postdoctoral Scholar with Dr. Lisa Ruble on her NIH-funded study training local school-based consultants in COMPASS. Her research interests include issues around transition to adulthood, adult guardianship, and support decision-making for adolescents and adults with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Nancy Dalrymple is an educational consultant in the field of autism. She was on the faculty at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center then became a consultant to the STAR program there. She works with parents and families of children with autism to provide ongoing support and information. Nancy also trains school personnel and others who interact with students with autism and has taught university classes. Previously, Nancy was director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism and was on the Autism Society of America Panel of Professional Advisors as well as other advisory boards. Nancy continues to work with university faculty on research topics. She is the author of numerous papers and practical sourcebooks about autism and has presented on various topics regarding autism throughout her more than 30 years of experience in the field.
Dr. Donna Murray is vice president of clinical programs and head of the Autism Treatment Network (ATN) at Autism Speaks and an adjunct associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital within the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Pediatrics. At Autism Speaks, Dr. Murray oversees the activities of the ATN and other clinical programs. The ATN is a collaboration of academic medical institutions working together to improve medical care in autism by developing best practices and providing a platform for research.
Dr. Michael Toland earned his Ph.D. in Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2008. His areas of research interest include examining the performance of item response theory (IRT) models, applications of IRT and structural equation modeling to scale development, issues related to longitudinal modeling and measurement invariance, and applications of longitudinal modeling.
Dr. Grace Kuravackel is a Licensed Psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is primarily involved in clinical work at the University of Louisville Autism Center and provides services ranging from diagnostic assessments, intake assessments, individual and family therapy, consults, and group therapy. She supervises doctoral students in their clinical and research work at the center as well. She is also involved in a number of research initiatives connected with Autism Spectrum Disorder. More recently she was the Primary Investigator for a collaborative parent support study with the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Abigail Love completed her doctoral work in Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky. She received her M.S. in Educational Psychology in UK and her B.S. in Deaf Education and Elementary Education at EKU. She works in Australia as a teacher specializing in autism and currently works as a speaker and advocate for individuals touched by autism in her community. Her research interests include teacher motivation and beliefs and community disability education and awareness.
Dr. Bundy is a Professor of Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University and a licensed psychologist. Her graduate and post-graduate training specialized in developmental disabilities. She interned at the University of North Carolina TEACCH program, a pioneering program in autism intervention. Dr. Bundy coordinates the EKU Developmental Disabilities Specialty clinic, which provides opportunities for EKU graduate students to work with children, adolescents, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities. She collaborates with EKU faculty from Occupational Therapy, Communication Disorders, and Special Education to direct the EKU Autism Spectrum Disorder Certificate Program. She collaborates with EKU students to write and conduct research in the area of autism. She enjoys spending time with individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Dr. Bundy is also interested in research and clinical practice related to adoption.
Dr. Yue Yu is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the UC Davis MIND Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and her B.A. in Psychology at UCLA. Dr. Yu’s research interests include examining psychosocial outcomes in caregivers and families of individuals with ASD and the implementation of evidence-based practices in community-based settings.