Team
Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Research Director
Lauren is an associate professor in the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry, associate director of the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center and the research director of the Autism Discovery Institute. Her federally funded research involves partnering with mental health and education system leaders, providers and families to develop, test and implement evidence-based interventions in community and school-based settings and reduce disparities in access to quality care. She conducts this research with the specific population of children with (or at risk for) autism spectrum disorders as well as the broader population of children with mental health problems receiving publicly funded mental health services. Additional areas of research include research-community partnerships, clinician training/supervision, early developmental and social-emotional screening and intervention, and parent training and psychotherapy intervention process and outcomes.
Themba Carr, Ph.D., Manager of Autism Discovery Institute and Clinical Psychologist
Themba is a clinical psychologist at the Autism Discovery Institute. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Autism Research and Treatment, and Center for Health Services and Society. Themba’s clinical expertise includes the assessment and diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorders and the implementation of autism-focused caregiver-mediated early intervention models. In addition to working directly with families, she serves as a certified trainer for the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. She is also a UC San Diego assistant clinical professor (non-salaried) and provides teaching and training opportunities in the assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum and related disorders. Themba’s research interests include implementing community-partnered participatory research methods to decrease healthcare disparities. She is currently serving as a committee member on the Lancet Medical Journal Commission on the Future of Care and Research in Autism.
Abbey Hye, M.A., Lead BCBA
Abbey received her Master of Arts in human development and psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a board-certified behavior analyst. She has broad training in the implementation of behavioral and developmental treatments (e.g., PRT, JASPER, ESDM) for children with autism and other developmental delays (e.g. Dup15q, tuberous sclerosis complex). Prior to joining Rady Children’s, she worked as a research assistant on a variety of early intervention studies at UC San Diego and UCLA, provided in home therapy through local agencies and conducted developmental/diagnostic assessments at the UCLA CAN Clinic. She has a passion for parent coaching and is committed to teaching social communication skills to children with autism and helping their families. Abbey has been working in the field of applied behavior analysis since 2008.
Elizabeth Gallagher, MA, BCBA
Elizabeth is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She earned her master’s in education, with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis, from Arizona State University. Elizabeth joined the Rady Children’s Hospital team in 2015 and has worked in various programs, including Children’s Care Connection (C3) and Alexa’s PLAYC. She now works as a Behavior Specialist at the Autism Discovery Institute and for the Autism Friendly Health System Initiative. She is passionate about training parents and hospital staff on how to better support autistic children.
Abhishek Dalal
Abhi Dalal conducts evaluation and quality monitoring activities for multiple components of autism-related services and initiatives within the Rady Children’s Division of Developmental Services. In his spare time, Abhi enjoys open-water swimming and practicing mindfulness.