Brenna M. Cavanaugh

Brenna M. Cavanaugh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center (School of Medicine and Dentistry). She is a licensed psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst specializing in clinical care for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. Her work focuses on evidence-based behavioral and cognitive-behavioral strategies for challenging behaviors, parent training, and diagnostic evaluations.

• Education: PsyD in Clinical Psychology (Nova Southeastern University, 2015), MS in Clinical Psychology (Nova Southeastern University, 2012), BA in Psychology (Binghamton University, 2010)
• Training: Post-doctoral training in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at URMC (2015-2017), pre-doctoral internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute (2014-2015)

Research Interests: Dr. Cavanaugh's research emphasizes the application and dissemination of applied behavior analytic (ABA) interventions for challenging behaviors in children with developmental disabilities. She investigates the effectiveness of behavioral parent training in clinical settings and focuses on early detection and prevention of behavioral disorders in at-risk populations. Her work bridges clinical practice and translational research, particularly in adapting ABA strategies for community-based contexts like schools.

Publications: Key contributions include studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants, modular autism programming in schools, and ABA techniques for stimulus control and functional communication training. These works span pediatrics, developmental psychology, and behavioral analysis.

Clinical Roles: She provides diagnostic evaluations for autism spectrum disorder, leads behavioral skills training, and consults with schools on evidence-based interventions through URMC's Behavior Treatment Program and Behavioral Intervention for Families Program.