The Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) has named Dr. Megan Kunze as the Associate-Director. Dr. Kunze is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Psychology and an instructor in Early Intervention in the Department of Special Education at the University of Oregon.
Dr. Kunze joined CBIRT in 2020 with a background in early intervention, special education, and working with young children with developmental differences, including autism. She focuses her research on the accessibility and impact of early diagnosis, as well as professional preparation in Applied Behavior Analysis and family-focused naturalistic interventions to best support young children with developmental delays.
A significant aspect of her research involves developing interventions that meet the individual, cultural, and linguistic needs of children with developmental differences and their families. Recently, her work has concentrated on creating and delivering caregiver-mediated coaching for children with disabilities through telehealth.
In addition to her research, Dr. Kunze contributes to community outreach by serving as the behavior expert for two Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) panels: the Autism ECHO for Oregon and the Ukraine ECHO. These panels support medical professionals working with children who have various special needs. Kunze serves in the doctoral and master's committees in the Department of Special Education where she supervises and advises students as well as teaches Master's level courses in Early Childhood Intervention.
Currently, Dr. Kunze is the primary investigator or co-investigator on several research projects at CBIRT. We are excited to begin this new phase of CBIRT's work under her leadership!
“Megan’s strong research background, grant writing and action-oriented focus will bring a strong research focus to CBIRT and round out the leadership team”, states Melissa McCart.
“I am thrilled to become the Associate Director and to further advance the vision of CBIRT as a transformative force for families, children, and individuals impacted by disability and neurological differences. Together, we can create meaningful change and empower those we serve to reach their full potential”. - Megan Kunze
CBIRT’s current Director, Melissa has directed CBIRT since 2023. Dr. McCart, Dr. Kunze and investigators Drs. Doug Gomez, Christina Karns and Patricia Reyna will continue to direct CBIRT projects. Their work is supported by David Kracke, JD., Dane Ramshaw, Laura Beck, Jody Slocumb, Rosie Ramshaw, Megan Jones, Kandyce Kelley, Melaney Grenz, Rebecca Simones and Matthew Dawson.
As CBIRT enters this new chapter under the shared leadership of Drs. McCart and Kunze, we are excited for the opportunities ahead. Together we look forward to strengthening collaboration and creating meaningful change for the individuals and families we serve.