Academy Volunteer Faculty

This is a list of some of the faculty who have participated in Academy sponsored and organized courses, workshops, or seminars. This list is still in development.

David ALLEN, Ph.D.,is Associate Clinical Director of services for people with intellectual disability at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Professor in the Clinical Psychology of Intellectual Disabilities at the Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, Cardiff University, in Cardiff, Wales, UK.. He is a fellow of both the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (IASSID) and the British Psychological Society. He is also co-chair of the Challenging Behavior and Mental Health Special Interest Research Group of IASSID, Chair of the Research Advisory Group of the Learning Disability and Autism Research Network for Wales, and a member of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Learning Disability Advisory Implementation Group.

Douglas BOER, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waikato, in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Ivan BROWN, Ph.D., teaches disability studies at the graduate level and acts as the manager for the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare, a national research and policy development institute in children’s well-being, at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Dr. Brown, whose background is in Special Education, is an internationally recognized expert in disability and quality of life. He has published widely in the academic literature and has written or edited nine scholarly books, including the internationally-used text A Comprehensive Guide to Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities. He has initiated several major quality of life studies, and has demonstrated active leadership in international organizations in the field of intellectual disabilities.

Roy I BROWN, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology, at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and as well as Adjunct Professor, School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria and at the Psychology Department of the Simon Fraser University in Canada He was Professor and Dean of School of Special Education and Disability Studies at the Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Dr. Brown is the chair of the IASSID Academy on Education, Teaching, and Research. Through practice, research, writing, and teaching, he has developed programs in the field of disabilities. He has worked in several countries, including consulting to UNESCO in South East Asia. He is a leading author in the area of family quality of life and rehabilitation research.

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Lauren CHARLOT, Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor, Director of Intellectual Disabilities Services in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Medical Center, Worcester Massachusetts, USA. She has developed and leads a multidisciplinary team providing comprehensive assessments of individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and mental health disorders or severe challenging behaviors. She previously helped to develop a specialized inpatient psychiatric service located in a general medical facility co-located with the UMass Medical School dedicated to serving individuals with ID. Dr. Charlot has collaborated with colleagues from the E.K Shriver Center at UMass Medical School to study mental health issues and treatment of individuals with ID. She was the lead author in the NADD and APA sponsored DM-ID (Diagnostic Manual for Intellectual Disabilities) Mood Disorders Chapter.

Grania CLARKE, Ph.D. is the Director of Psychology at St Michael’s House, Ireland’s largest provider of community-based services for children with Intellectual disabilities and their families. She has trained as a Counseling and Clinical Psychologist and as a Systemic Family Psychotherapist and Supervisor. Previously working in several services in London, including the Tavistock Clinic, she has extensive experience of working with families and in the training of clinical psychologists, family therapists and other healthcare professionals

Antonia COPPUS, M.D., is a physician specialized in intellectual disability medicine in the Netherlands. She is working as a medical doctor in Dutch intellectual disability care since 1990. In 1999, she started a research on predictors of dementia and mortality in Down syndrome at the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, in close collaboration with the Department of General Practice, Intellectual Disability Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Neuroscience of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In 2008 she completed a PhD thesis on dementia and Down syndrome. She has participated in several national and international publications and lectures concerning aging and dementia in people with intellectual disabilities. Her research at the Erasmus Medical Center focuses on dementia and ageing in people with Down syndrome.

Gare Fabila PESCINA Ph. D., is a professor of embryology, histology, reproduction, and developmental biology in the science faculty of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, Mexico. She is also the President and Associate Founder of Comunidad Crecer in Mexico City, a rehabilitation center for people with multiple disabilities. Dr. Fabila Pescine was a member of the panel of experts in disability for the United Nations for the work of the standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities and a member of the National Consultive Council for People with Disabilities in Mexico. Her areas of interest include quality of life, advocacy and human rights, and assistive technology.

Rhonda FARAGHER, Ph.D., is senior lecturer in mathematics education in the School of Education, at the Australian Catholic University (Canberra Campus) in Dickson, ACT in Australia and has had an adjunct position at Simon Fraser University, Canada, teaching an on line course in Down syndrome . She has taught at all levels of education from early childhood to adulthood and has a particular interest in helping learners who have difficulty learning mathematics. Currently she is project manager for a major Australian study aimed at boosting numeracy attainment for learners with difficulties in schools of low socioeconomic status. She has a PhD in disability studies in the area of numeracy attainment by adults with Down syndrome and has published on numeracy internationally. Rhonda has a teenage daughter with Down syndrome. She is a current receipt of a Commonwealth of Australia Endeavour Executive Award.

Fabrizio FEA, M.D., is a neurologist and forensic physician involved in psychiatric research and care, and serves as the medical director of a rehabilitation center for persons with intellectual disabilities working within the N.H.S. in Rome. He is a Vice President of E.A.S.P.D. (European Association of Service Providers for Disabled) and the chair person of the Standing Committee on Employment of E.A.S.P.D. He is also the President and founder member of A.I.S.E. (Italian Association of Supported Employment), and the former Secretary General of E.U.S.E. (European Union of Supported Employment). Dr. Fea serves as a promoter of projects and programs that involve the research of jobs for people with disabilities in Italy and abroad together with other associations and co-operatives. His particular interests are the area of dual diagnosis research and on the neuropsychiatric aspects of mentally ill and intellectually disabled persons. For more than 15 years he has been participating and lecturing on original scientific works during several national and international conferences, particularly on employment, education, rehabilitation methodologies, and use of the ICF.

Angela HASSIOTIS, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in the Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability, based at University College London and Camden Learning Disabilities Service in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the executive committee of the faculty of Intellectual Disabilities of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and has published extensively on her research in mental health issues in younger and older people with intellectual disabilities. Other interests include undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, stigma and ethics.

Dana HENNING, Ph.D. has provided training and consultation for people with developmental disabilities for over 30 years. Dana Henning Training Programs , located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA, has been in operation since 1985, providing clinical expert witness for legal matters, individual functional assessments, functional behavior assessments, and consultations regarding programmatic development. Prior to that Dr. Henning held positions including Asst. Professor at Columbia University-College of Physicians & Surgeons, Director of Planning and Development at The Developmental Disabilities Center of Temple University, Director of Education on the Mental Health Team at Morristown Memorial Hospital Developmental Disabilities Center.

Kelly HSIEH, Ph.D. is research assistant professor of human development at the Institute of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago (USA), and serves as associate director for evaluation and statistics the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in Aging with Developmental Disabilities-Lifespan Health and Function at the University. She has published in the areas of health, fall risk factors, and family support for persons aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her research interests in developmental disability include aging and health, health promotion, fall risks and prevention, Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers’ health, and epidemiology of developmental disability.

Matthew P JANICKI, Ph.D., is Research Associate Professor of Human Development at the Institute of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and serves as Director for Technical Assistance for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in Aging with Developmental Disabilities–Lifespan Health and Function at the University. Formerly, he was Director for Aging and Special Populations for the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. He is the author of numerous books and articles in the area of aging, dementia, public policy, and rehabilitation with regard to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and has lectured and provided training in aging and intellectual disabilities across the world. His interests include research on Alzheimer’s disease community care, health status of people with intellectual disabilities, and comparative services.

Nancy JOKINEN, MSW, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at School of Social Work at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. She was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada and the recipient of the Early Researcher Award Program of the Ontario Research Coalition of Research Institutes / Centres on Health & Aging. Her research interests are aging, family quality of life, dementia care and age-friendly communities.

Edwin JONES, Ph.D.currently works with the Special Projects Team at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, based in Cardiff, Wales, UK, promoting positive behavioral support for people with intellectual disabilities and challenging behavior and is an honorary fellow at the University of Glamorgan. Prior to this he was a Senior Research Fellow at The Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, Cardiff University. His main interests include positive behavioral support, active support, person centered approaches, practice leadership, periodic service review, staff training, and advocacy. He also teaches on undergraduate and on postgraduate courses concerning challenging behavior.

Margaret KYRKOU, M.D., Ph.D., is a medical consultant for the South Australian Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service, and part time lecturer at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia (Australia).

Joel M. LEVY, D.S.W., is the former CEO of The YAI Network in New York, New York USA. Dr. Joel M. Levy oversaw a network of seven agencies whose 5,500 staff members serve more than 20,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through 450 community based programs. Dr. Levy has edited several books and published over 30 peer- reviewed articles and chapters. He serves on the editorial board of several journals and has been the recipient of numerous professional awards. He currently serves as a consultant in organizational management and is a member of the IASSID Council.

Ronald LUCCHINO, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in Biology at Utica College, Utica New York (USA). During his 30 years as a professor of Biology he also was Director of the Institute of Gerontology. For over 20 years he was involved in working with the ID community and government developing programs and conducting researching ways to help the ID network better understand the aging changes in adults with ID. During this time he was instrumental in developing integrated programs between the aging and ID networks providing shared resources and shared staffing to meet the needs of the increasing population of older adults with ID. He developed many training programs for the staff of both networks that are still in use today. His personal interests and research have focused on the problems of adverse medication reactions in the aging general population and is now focusing the same issues among adults with ID.

Mary McCARRON, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Director of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and is a Policy and Service Advisor on dementia to the Daughters of Charity Service. Professor McCarron is the principal investigator for the first ever longitudinal study on ageing in persons with intellectual disability which is a supplement to the recently launched Irish Longitudinal study on Ageing(TILDA). An international expert in the field of intellectual disability and dementia, Dr. McCarron has played lead roles in assessing symptoms of dementia, developing specialist memory clinic services, and consulting on day-to-day care management. She is particularly recognized for her efforts in extending palliative care to address the needs of all persons with dementia. Throughout her career Prof. McCarron has managed to maintain very close contact with the services and with people with dementia and their carers and has bridged that theory practice gap that there is so much criticism about, working with services both nationally, and Internationally to respond to ageing related needs.

Roy McCONKEY, Ph.D., is Professor of Learning Disability at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland; a post jointly funded by the NI Health and Social Care Board. A psychologist by training and a native of Belfast, he has previously held posts at the University of Manchester, in Dublin and in Scotland. He has worked in the field of intellectual disability for nearly 40 years and has authored, co-authored and edited over 15 books, and published over 100 book chapters and research papers in learned journals. He is Fellow of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability and he has been a key-note speaker at international conferences in the USA, Australia, Holland, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Japan. He has acted as a consultant to various United Nations agencies and International NGOs; this work has taken him to some 20 countries in Africa, Asia and South America.

Keith McVILLY, Ph.D., is a Principal Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at Deakin University, Australia and a Co-Vice President (Asia Pacific) for IASSID. He is a clinical psychologist who conducts research concerning the interests and support needs of adults with developmental disabilities. His research interest include quality of life, relationships, behaviour support and mental health. He has a particular interest in working with adults with disabilities who present with serious behaviours of concern that pose a risk to themselves and others, and can give rise to forensic involvement. Much of his research is conducted in applied settings, working directly with people with disability, their families and services providers. He provides research supervision for post-graduate students and works closely with community sector organisations and government agencies in the development and evaluation of services. Previously, Dr. McVilly has worked as a direct support worker, a clinician and service manager, in public health services and in private practice. He has worked as a researcher at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Developmental Disability Studies, in the UK at the University of Wales’ Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, and in the USA at the University of Minnesota’s Research Centre on Community Living.

Robyn MILDON, Ph.D., is the Director of Knowledge Transfer at the Parenting Research Centre, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and is responsible for a number projects focusing on the dissemination of evidence-based parenting programs and practice and are based on scientific knowledge of parenting in the development of information, policy, and community capacity building. Dr. Mildon has presented at several international conferences, including invited keynote presentations and workshops. She has published in peer-reviewed international journals and national professional journals/newsletters, as well as stand-alone best practice resources and high-level reports for government departments. Dr. Mildon’s PhD focused on supporting parents with intellectual disability to design and implement best practice behavior support strategies to decrease problem behavior shown by their young children.

Vivienne RICHES, Ph.D.,is a registered psychologist and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Disability Studies, Sydney, Australia. She has worked as a teacher, psychologist in private practice, consultant, lecturer and researcher in the disability field for a number of years. Interests include social and interpersonal skills, emotional health, vocational training, employment and transition for people with intellectual disabilities. Her books include Standards of Work Performance, (1993), Everyday social interaction: A program for people with disabilities, (1996) and Angerwise: A problem solving approach to handling anger wisely.

Joseph SAKDALAN, Ph.D., M.D., is a consultant clinical psychologist who works full-time with the Forensic ID Secure Services, Regional Forensic Psychiatry Service in Auckland, New Zealand. He received specialty training in the areas of clinical and counseling psychology, forensic psychology and psychiatry neuropsychology, public health and general medicine. Dr. Sakdalan has done extensive work on developing ID specific programs, ID risk assessment and management framework and research on attitudes towards people with ID. He has written articles and chapters and has presented in international conferences in the area of forensic intellectual disabilities.

Alice SCHIPPERS,Ph.D.,is the program leader for empowerment of clients and family care at Vilans Dutch Centre of Expertise on Long Term Care. Ms. Schippers also serves as the project manager at Amsta, as well as the Project Director at Disability Studies in the Netherlands. She also is the Founder/Director at Forum on Leadership & Quality of Life Past: Manager Quality & Research Department at Stichting Philadelphia Zorg.

Vladimir TRAJOVSKI, M.D, Ph.D., is an Associate Professorin Human Genetics, Medical Basis of Disability, Physiology and Functional Anatomy at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius”, in Skopje, Macedonia. Dr. Trajkovski is the Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation and Head of Educational-Scientific board for postgraduate studies at Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Philosophy, at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius”. He is widely published and involved in many activities related to intellectual disabilities.

John A TSIOURIS, M.D., is a psychiatrist and head of psychological and psychiatric services at the George A. Jervis Clinic at the New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities on Staten Island, New York (USA). He has lectured and published on a range of topics related to the mental health and psychiatric pathologies of people with intellectual disabilities. His areas of research are depression, Down syndrome and psychiatric syndromes associated with intellectual disabilities.

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International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) 

The International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) is the first and only world-wide group dedicated to the scientific study of intellectual disability.

Founded in 1964 as the International Association for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency, IASSIDD is an international, interdisciplinary and scientific non-governmental organization which promotes worldwide research and exchange of information on intellectual disabilities.