IT STARTS WITH US

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“Delivering Individualized Supports for Children with Developmental Disabilities and the Practitioners Who Serve Them”

Maria Hugh

PhD, Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota

M.Ed., BCBA, Early Intervention & Special Education, Vanderbilt University

BS., Cognitive Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University

University of Kansas Department of Special Education
KU Center on Disabilities (KUCD)
Implementation Science & Practice at KU Center on Disabilities (KUCD)

About Our Team

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About Our Team •

Nick Hoekstra

Project Manager

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Ana Paula Martinez

PhD Student

Ana Paula is a PhD student in the Early Childhood Unified, Special Education program. Originally from Mexico, AP is also a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and an ECI clinic owner.

Cansel is a doctoral student in the Special Education program at the University of Kansas. She has experience supporting students and families as a special education teacher and working as a research assistant at Gazi University in Türkiye. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in education of the Hearing Impaired. Her research interests focus on early childhood special education and early intervention. 

Awal Miah is a PhD student in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. He earned his M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dhaka and previously worked as a Research Investigator at icddr,b in Bangladesh. His research experience includes psychosocial interventions, early childhood development and education, school readiness, and parent-focused interventions. His clinical experience includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practice. 

Josh Kaiser-Molina is a Master’s Student in Special Education with a Concentration in Early Childhood Unified. He earned his Bachelor’s in Spring of 2026 with a major in Psychology and triple minors in Education Studies, Sociology, and Public & Population Health from KU. His research experience includes working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the Muehlenhard lab at KU, and now working with Team Hug and Project MounTaiN. His topics of interest include early childhood interventions, evidence-based practices, and aiding multilingual learners in Special Education. 

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Annika Yoder

Undergraduate Media Manager

Annika Yoder is a second-year student pursuing her degree in psychology at KU. She works on this team as a part of the Emerging Scholars program as an undergraduate research assistant.

Adeline Georgelos is an undergraduate student, receiving her master's degree in architecture. She is interested in combining architecture with research, to help create spaces that implement better accessibility in buildings. Her role includes creating visual and language abstracts that facilitate easily accessible and comprehensible information.

Cansel Aydemir-Karataş

PhD Student

Awal Miah

PhD Student

Josh Miah

MSE Student

Adeline Georgelos

Undergraduate Student

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Team Alumni

Andrea Nelson, M.S.Ed.

Master’s GRA 2024-2026

Coach and Project Manager, 2023-2026

Erin Lawrence, M.S.Ed

PhD Fellow, 2024-2026

FuyaNan Shi, M.S.Ed.

Chavis Lickvar-ArmstronG, PhD

Aziz Alsaeed, PhD

PhD Fellow & GRA 2022-2024

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2024-2025

Marisela Bustos

Undergraduate Media Manager

2024-2025