Lab Faculty

Aaron J Fischer (he/him)

PhD, BCBA-D

Dee Endowed Professor of School Psychology, ​Lab Director

Keith Radley (he/him)

PhD, BCBA-D, NCSP

Associate Professor of
​Educational Psychology

Kate Helbig

​PhD, BCBA-D, NCSP

Associate Professor of
​School Psychology

Emeritus Lab Faculty

Lab Affiliated Faculty

Leanne Hawken (she/her)

PhD, BCBA

Dr. Jaewhan Kim

PhD

Dr. Karen Manotas

MD, MS
Emeritus Professor of
​Special Education
Professor/ Health Economist
Assistant Professor (Clinical)

Coordinators

Coordinator of Clinical Training & Supervision

Derek Smith, PhD (he/him)

Derek graduated with his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Utah in 2018. He is cross-trained in gero-, school, and neuro-psychology as well as in school counseling. In his U-TTEC role, he helps to set and implement training policies while also managing supervision in the Lab.

​He enjoys supporting the graduate assistants, and he is always open to providing guidance on graduate school, internship, and the post-graduate work towards licensure and independent practice.

Assistant Coordinator of Clinical Training & Supervision

Jenna McGinnis, PhD, LP, NCSP (she/her)

Jenna received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Minnesota after completing her doctoral internship at the Munroe Meyer Institute. Prior to that, she received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida.

​Jenna’s professional interests include school-based mental health, engaging parents and caregivers in school-based mental health services, and school mental health consultation. Her professional interests include school-based mental health, engaging parents and caregivers in school-based mental health services, and school mental health consultation. In her free time, Jenna enjoys hiking, yoga, and playing board games with friends and family.

Coordinator of Research & Programming

Chathuri Illapperuma-Wood, PhD, NCSP, BCBA (she/her)

Chat was born and raised in Sri Lankan and arrived to the United States in the year 2015 to begin her graduate education. She completed her doctoral internship at the Munroe Meyer Institute and graduated with her doctorate in school psychology from Mississippi State University in 2020.  Upon graduation, she joined the U-TTEC Lab to complete a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Fischer. 
​
​Chat currently serves as the research and programs coordinator for the lab and the implementation coordinator for the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative. Her professional interests include school-based mental health programming and service delivery, tele-mental health implementation in schools, professional issues in psychology, virtual reality to improve teacher and student functioning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programming in school settings. In her free time, Chat enjoys spending time with her family, whipping up delicious meals and desserts for them to enjoy, and binge-watching FRIENDS on repeat.

Administrative Coordinators

Annie Chuang (she/her) 

Annie Chuang is a Lab Coordinator for the U-TTEC lab. She is currently a MSW student at the University of Iowa. She is interested in intervention work for neurodevelopmental disorders across the lifespan, early identification of ASD and ADHD, and tele-consultation with special education teachers and students. She aspires to work with diverse immigrant populations in the future. In her free time, Annie enjoys hiking, exploring the outdoors with her dog, and cooking. 

Jose (Lean) Agravante (he/him)

Lean Agravante is a Lab Coordinator with the UTTEC lab. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in Psychology at the U in 2021 and has been working with the lab ever since. He is interested in teaching and pursuing research in educational psychology and policy- especially in the globalization of education, having lived in 3 countries. Lean has lived in the Philippines, South Korea and now Utah. He enjoys sports, video games, and binge-watching sitcoms and movies. 

Rachael Katz (she/her)

​Rachael joined the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative in April, and is a Program Coordinator. She has lived in Utah for 6 years and has a health communication and research background. When she is not working, you can find her exploring Utah, baking, or spending time with her retriever mix. Rachael's mental health tip is that not every skill works for everyone. Mental health is an individual practice, and it is important to find the skills that work best for you.

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Grecia Corona, B.A. (she/ella)

Grecia Corona is the Lab Marketing & Communications Coordinator. She received her bachelor's degree in Strategic Communication & Design from the University of Utah. She is pursuing new opportunities in non-profit and community organizing. She is passionate about learning new ways to innovate systems around her, finding ways to include activism to uplift, educate, and empower her community. In her free time, Grecia loves exploring nature, cooking new foods, and hanging out with her three cats. 

Supervisors

BCBA Supervisor & Psychology Residents

Diana McCarty, PhD, BCBA, LBA-UT (she/her)

Diana McCarty received her doctorate in school psychology from the University of Utah in 2021 and is a licensed behavior analyst (BCBA #1-17-27126). She completed her APA accredited doctoral internship in clinical psychology at the National Psychology Training Consortium-Cascades Region and currently lives in Washington state. She has experience working with multidisciplinary teams within school and clinical settings providing direct services, consultation, and system-level supports.

​Her professional interests include working with individuals with ASD and their families, behavioral consultation, Applied Behavior Analysis, and utilizing telehealth to improve access to services for underrepresented populations. In her free time, she enjoys exploring nature, watching flicks, playing board/card games with friends, and spending time with her family.

Trevor Smith, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA (he/him) 

I was born and raised in Northern California in a small town called Susanville. In 2019 I completed my Bachelors in Psychology from South Dakota State University. While there I worked with Dr. Rebecca Martin on a research project in Gender Studies which we presented at the 2019 APA conference in Washington D.C. In 2020 I relocated to Salt Lake City where I started working as an RBT at Utah Autism Academy.

​Working in the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) field sparked my desire to start my Master's coursework, and in 2022 I graduated with my Master's in Education from Arizona State University. In October 2022 I obtained my credentialing as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and became a licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Utah. I continued to work as a BCBA at Utah Autism Academy until my decision to join the U-TTEC Lab in August of 2023. ​

Lab Case Worker

Pamela Westover, MSW, CSW (she/her)

Pamela is the Lab's Case Worker and works as part of the San Juan County Well-Being Team. She graduated with her BSW at the University of Utah and finished her MSW at Indiana Wesleyan University. Pamela advocates for the Latinx community through Comunidades Unidas and has volunteered for many non-profit organizations like Holly Cross Ministering, Woman of the World, and the Utah Refugee Center.

​She worked for DCFS and provided mental health services to students of diverse communities at Mountain High School in the Davis School District. In her free time, Pamela loves to hike and dance.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor

Molly Davis, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

Molly completed her Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at the University of Utah Honors College. She later completed her Master's of Social Work at the University of Utah and a certificate of study in Refugee and Migration Studies from Oxford University. Molly has a passion for research and studied the disproportionality of student suspensions and expulsions for minority students in schools along with other work in the field of systematic racism and policy enforcement.

​Molly previously worked in various settings including adoption, crisis work, and substance-use disorders in a residential treatment setting. Molly specializes in motivational interviewing, DBT, ACT, and mindfulness practices. Currently, she also does private practice therapy at Compass Counseling and Consulting as well as Motivational Interviewing Coaching at eSym.

Assistant Director of the Interdisciplinary Feeding Clinic

Caroline Duclaux, M.A., MED, BCBA, LBA (she/her)

Caroline Duclaux is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. She is currently in her second year of the Educational Psychology PhD program. She received her bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University in Kinesiology, pre-occupational therapy, in 2019.  Caroline then went on and received her master's degree in psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis, in 2021.

Caroline passed her BCBA certification and has been working as a BCBA since July of 2022. She did the majority of my BCBA training in a clinic, serving ages 2-6. Over the last two year she has been a BCBA in middle and high schools in the St. George area (via telehealth). Areas of research Caroline is interested in include, verbal behavior, feeding disorders in pediatrics with autism, and severe behavioral management. 

Postdoctoral Fellow

Sean Weeks, Ph.D. (he/him) 

Sean recently received his Ph.D. in School Psychology from Utah State University after completing his doctoral internship at Rutgers University. Prior to that, he received his M.A. in Psychology from the University of Kentucky. Sean’s professional interests include acceptance and commitment therapy, LGBTQIA+ wellbeing, neurodevelopmental assessment, school-based screening for mental and academic wellbeing, and school-based mental health services. In his free time, Sean enjoys skiing, climbing, camping, cooking, and reading. ​