Scientific Translation Awardee
2010: Dr. William J. McIlvane
Dr. McIlvane is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) and Director of the UMMS Shriver Center and the UMMS Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. Dr. McIlvane directs a multi-focus program that addresses a number of scientific problems relevant to understanding and ameliorating behavior deficits of persons with neurodevelopmental disabilities. One focus is development of procedures to encourage progressively more rapid learning of behaviors involved in symbolic communication. Another is to adapt behavioral neuroscience methods - including animal modeling - to further understanding of brain processes involved in symbolic behavior. A third focus is to develop valid nonverbal neuropsychological testing methods for use with individuals and populations that do not understand verbal instructions. In addition, Dr. McIlvane's program has a strong research-to-practice emphasis. Methods translated from laboratory research are being used to teach practical skills in regular and special education classrooms in both the United States and in Brasil. His presentation will discuss translational behavior analysis as both a concept and an objective. In particular, he will discuss possibilities for more fully realizing the expansive visions of Skinner, Keller, Sidman, and others concerning the development and dissemination of a true technology of teaching.
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