Dr. Bryan A. Simmons is a postdoctoral resident at Rutgers Brain Health Institute, where he serves as a BCBA-D at the Children’s Specialized Hospital–Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (CSH–RUCARES) Severe Behavior Program. He earned his B.A. in Psychology & Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, followed by his M.S. in Special Education from CSU Long Beach and Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology from the University of Kansas. Bryan’s research interests include functional analysis & treatment of complex behavior, synchronous schedules of reinforcement, communication modalities, and staff training & implementation maintenance. He contributes to the field through presentations at national and regional conferences, service on committees for state ABAI chapters, conference coordination, dissemination of work through journal publications, and, more recently, service as an advisory board member for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, and serving as a guest reviewer for behavior-analytic journals (e.g., Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis). Bryan’s contributions have earned him several awards, including the Baer, Wolf, and Risley Outstanding Graduate Student Award, the KansABA Award for Distinguished Service, the University of Kansas’ Carlin’s Graduate Teaching Award, and the title of distinguished scholar for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
- M.S., California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
- B.A., University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA
Courses Taught
- Principles & Procedures of Behavioral Interventions (University of Kansas)
- Practicum in Community-based Residential & Day Treatment Programs for Adults with Disabilities (University of Kansas)
- Community-Based Research Experiences for Adults with IDD (University of Kansas)
Research Interests
- Functional analysis & treatment of complex behavior
- Synchronous schedules of reinforcement
- Communication modalities
- Staff training & implementation maintenance