Our Leaders
Marc J. Tassé, PhD
Director, Nisonger Center
Marc J. Tassé, PhD, director of the Nisonger Center, conducts administrative duties, performs research and teaches. His research focuses on intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and includes an intervention program called Shakespeare and Autism. He has helped develop the diagnostic adaptive behavior scale published by the American Association of Intellectual Developmental Disabilities.
Andrea Witwer, PhD
Director, Autism and Developmental Disability Clinic
As director of the Autism and Developmental Disability Clinic at the Nisonger Center, Andrea Witwer, PhD, provides diagnostic and behavioral consultation to children and young adults who have a range of developmental disabilities. Her research focuses on how the community can better identify and treat children who have an autism spectrum disorder.
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist. In the Nisonger Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry program, he treats people with developmental disabilities. He specializes in investigating new treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. He is currently studying neurofeedback treatment of ADHD and essential oils for children with autism.
Luc Lecavalier, PhD
Director, Nisonger Center Child Behavior Support Services
Luc Lecavalier, PhD, serves as the program director of the Nisonger Center Child Behavior Support Services treatment unit, which implements behavior plans for children with developmental disabilities or behavior and emotional problems. He has mentored numerous doctoral candidates and welcomes admitting passionate and hard-working graduate students.
Susan Havercamp, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Psychology
Susan Havercamp, associate professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, is the director of healthcare promotion and healthcare parity at the Nisonger Center. Havercamp says investigators have found that people with disabilities, compared to those without, have poorer health and a harder time accessing care, so many of her programs work to close this gap.
Our Researchers
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd
Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry
L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd, is a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry. He received his MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and his MEd from John Hopkins. He completed a psychiatry residency and a child psychiatry residency at John Hopkins University. His research focuses on the scientific study of nutritional support for mental health. He is studying a cohort of children ages 6-12 at baseline who have elevated symptoms of mania by a screening instrument, and through comprehensive semi-annual assessments he is tracing the development of bipolar disorder.
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Susan Havercamp, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology
Susan Havercamp, PhD, is an associate professor of Psychiatry and Psychology. She received her MA and PhD from The Ohio State University. Dr. Havercamp's research focuses on health promotion and improving access to and the quality of healthcare for children and adults with disabilities.
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Luc Lecavalier, PhD
Professor, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry
Luc Lecavalier, PhD, is a professor in the departments of Psychology and Psychiatry. He received his PhD from the Université du Québec à Montréal and completed his postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Center for Development and Learning. Dr. Lecavalier's research goals include validating outcome measures for anxiety and behavioral inflexibility in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
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Marc J. Tassé, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychology and Psychiatry
Marc J. Tassé, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Psychiatry. He received his PhD from the Université du Québec à Montréal and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Tassé's research interests include assessment and psychometrics (item response theory), adaptive behavior, problem behavior and psychiatric disorders, health issues and intervention strategies in ASD and ID.
View Full Bio Andrea Witwer, PhD
Director of the School-Aged Autism and Developmental Clinic; Director of Training, Nisonger Center
Andrea Witwer, PhD, is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. She received her BS, MA and PhD from The Ohio State University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Dr. Witwer's research interests include identifying children with developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders, and examining how society is meeting the needs of children as they get older.
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