Ellen Cook
Department/Program Affiliation:
Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education

Research Interests:
Reading; Literacy; Teacher preparation; Teacher knowledge; Research methods

Contact Info:
ellencook@berkeley.edu

Vicki Benson Griffo
Department/Program Affiliation:
Graduate School of Education, Joint Doctorate in Special Education (UCB & SFSU)

Research interests:
Vicki Benson Griffo is currently studying mild and moderate reading disabilities in the Special Education doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to entering the program, she taught at the elementary level, earned her M.A. as a Reading Specialist, and conducted educational research. As a doctoral student, her research interests include examining the underpinnings of reading difficulties, refining instructional methods for struggling readers, as well as developing teacher education in the domain of reading.

Contact Info:
vlbenson@berkeley.edu

Jennifer Kurth
Department/Program Affiliation:
Educational Psychology

Research interests:
Jennifer Kurth is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Psychology
program at the University of California, Davis. Before beginning this
program Jennifer worked as a teacher for children with Severe
Disabilities in public junior high schools for over 6 years. She earned
her Masters degree from the University of Washington's Department of
Special Education. Jennifer is studying the academic achievement of
secondary age students with autism spectrum disorders enrolled in public
school settings and the impact of inclusion on the school achievement of
youth with autism.

Contact Info:
jakurth@ucdavis.edu

Gabriel Gutierrez
Department/Program Affiliation:
Graduate School of Education, Department of School Psychology

Research interests:
Gabriel Gutierrez is a Ph.D. student in School Psychology. His dissertation research focuses on evaluating the practical utility, quality, and predictive validity of CBM screening measures in English and Spanish for risk determination among low achieving English Learners (ELs), and on examining the reading achievement trajectories of these students within a Response to Intervention model.

Contact Info:
gguti002@ucr.edu

Cintia M. Gomi
Department/Program Affiliation: -
Ratner Children's Eye Center
Assistant Project Scientist

Research interests:
Cintia Gomi graduated from Medical School in Sao Paulo, Brazil and did her residency in ophthalmology at the same program. She came to San Diego to do her fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and soon got involved with research in learning disabilities. She is currently studying the relationship between learning disabilities and vision; Visual-motor integration and its relationship with the learning process; how visual problems affect learning; neuroimaging, vision and dyslexia. 

Contact Info:
cgomi@ucsd.edu

Sharon Elmensdorp
Department/Program Affiliation:
Department of Education, Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies emphasis

Research interests:
Sharon Elmensdorp is a doctoral student in the Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies emphasis at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her Masters degree in psychology from Pepperdine University in 2004. Sharon currently works with Drs. Bob and Lynn Koegel at the Koegel Autism Center at UCSB. She also coordinates a county funded grant program called First S.T.E.P. aimed at increasing the early identification of children with autism. Her research interests include early identification of and early intervention for children with autism and related disorders and training models for early identification.

Contact Info:
selmensd@education.ucsb.edu

Conference Chair and Local Arrangements Chair : Harriet Levine
Department/Program Affiliation:
Deparment of Education, Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies emphasis

Research interests:
Family and disability; literacy; pre service teacher preparation and in-service staff development (special education and general education working with special education students).

Contact Info:
hlevine@education.ucsb.edu