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 earned her bachelor’s degree in child development, ages 0-5, from San Diego State University and her master’s in education in applied behavior analysis from Arizona State University. She is also a board-certified behavior analyst. Elizabeth began working at Rady Children’s Hospital in 2015 as a developmental specialist with Children’s Care Connection (C3) and then joined the Alexa’s PLAYC team as an autism education associate. Beginning in 2019, she worked as a program manager supervising in-home ABA therapies, and in November, she rejoined the Alexa’s PLAYC team as a behavior specialist. Elizabeth is passionate about naturalistic intervention for children with autism, as well as supporting their families with parent education and training.
Raquel Locsin, MS
Raquel received her master’s in education in applied behavior analysis. She graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a specialization in Psychology. Raquel started working at Rady Children’s in 2007 as an Autism Education Associate at Alexa’s PLAYC. Beginning 2014, Raquel started to co-facilitate social skills groups at the Autism Discovery Institute. Raquel currently works with families 0-5 with Children’s Care Connection (C3) and supports families with the Autism-Friendly Health System Initiative.
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.