Our Team
Stephanie Shire
Dr. Shire is an Associate Professor in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. Prior to coming to Oregon, she completed post doctoral and doctoral training at the University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Shire’s research interests include the development and deployment of assessment and early intervention tools for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work has focused on partnering with community agencies to bring naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions to under-served and under resourced communities in North America and abroad.
Marina Crain
Marina Crain is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences in the College of Education, under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Shire.
Sophie Hartford
Sophie Hartford is a second-year doctoral student in the Special Education department. Sophie is a behavioral analyst (BCBA) dedicated to working in school-based settings with an emphasis on behavioral understanding and inclusive classroom practices. Currently an interventionist at the University of Oregon, she specializes in Applied Behavioral Analysis. Sophie holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and is actively involved in federally funded research projects at the University’s Prevention Science Institute.
Yitong Jiang
Yitong Jiang is a doctoral candidate in the Special Education program under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Shire. She earned both her B.A. and M.A. in Special Education from Beijing Normal University in China. Her research interests include early intervention, autism education, social-emotional development, and self-regulation.
Eunji Kong
Eunji Kong is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences in the College of Education, under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Shire. Previously as a BCBA, she started and ran a clinic in Korea that provided free home-based applied behavior analysis interventions to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Her research interests include comprehensive interventions for children with ASD and supports for practitioners working with nonresponders to interventions.
Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson is a doctoral student in Special Education at the University of Oregon. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he taught early childhood special education in Las Vegas, Nevada. His research applies implementation science to early childhood special education teacher preparation. His research focuses on identifying mechanisms for improving how teacher preparation programs prepare preservice special education teachers, on improving how interventions for young children with developmental disabilities are adopted, implemented, and sustained in preschool and early childhood classroom settings, and on finding ways to reduce and prevent special education teacher burnout.
Graduates
Stacy Arbuckle
Stacy Arbuckle received her PhD in Special Education and Early Intervention here at the University of Oregon. She is a licensed special education teacher and has over 10 years of experience working in special education in a variety of roles and settings. Her areas of interest involve training/supporting caregivers and educators in implementing naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) designed for children with autism and other developmental delays. Currently she is an interventionist for the PRISM study and also serves as the classroom supervisor for the BOOST Summer program.
Wenjing Bao
Wenjing Bao earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences in the College of Education at the University of Oregon, under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Shire. Following the completion of her doctoral degree in December 2025, she continued working with Dr. Shire at the Prevention Science Institute as a postdoctoral scholar. Beginning in September 2026, Wenjing will join the Education Department at Daemen University as an Assistant Professor. Her work focuses on assessment and intervention for young children with special needs, teacher education and professional development, and implementation science.
Siobhan McCarthy
Siobhan pursued a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders and now works as a Speech Language Pathologist in a large urban school district. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate schooling, she saw a need for therapists in the Early Intervention field with a strong autism background to better serve children with autism and their parents through evidence-based interventions. She also believes in coaching parents to become advocates for their children. Siobhan hopes to continue utilizing intervention strategies that combine communication development with increased engagement and regulation for children with autism, as well as coaching parents to effectively utilize these strategies in their home environment.
Savannah Wease
Savannah Wease graduated with a master’s degree in the Communication Disorders and Sciences program at the University of Oregon. She has years of experience working with children in the birth to five age range, with more recent experience being in Early Intervention settings. Her areas of interest include supporting the social interactions and social communication of children with autism, as well as peer-mediated interventions for children with autism.