Michael J. Cameron, PhD, a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with more than 30 years of experience in the assessment and treatment of family members with autism spectrum disorder, has been named agency clinical director of Pacific Child & Family Associates (PCFA) following an extensive national search, chief executive officer Ira Heilveil, PhD, BCBA, reports.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Cameron has joined the PCFA family. He has impressed us all with the depth of his intellect, his compassion and his clinical expertise,” Dr. Heilveil says. “He shares our belief that the client always comes first and our commitment to providing scientifically validated services that are built on a foundation of respect for those we serve.”
Dr. Cameron’s fields of expertise include assessing and treating people with autism spectrum disorder, the evaluation of public and private school-based programs for children and adults with ASD, staff training, and direct supervision of evidence-based behavior analytic services. Special interests include health and behavioral medicine.
As agency clinical director, Dr. Cameron is responsible for ensuring the quality, viability and expansion of services at PCFA’s 12 satellite offices around the country. He also oversees training and overall clinical direction.
“One of PCFA’s advantages is being able to serve families in different geographical regions, but the ability to ensure service continuity on a company-wide scale depends on successfully integrating all our locations into one large community,” Dr. Cameron explains. “This will also help focus company growth strategies as we continue to expand our service roster.”
Prior to joining Pacific Child and Family, Dr. Cameron was associate professor and founding chair, Department of Behavior Analysis, at Simmons College, Boston, MA. Simmons’ Master’s of Science program in Behavior Analysis is one of only 17 programs in the United States that is accredited by the Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).
“I’ve spent the past 15 years in academia training new professionals to provide services to people who need help, but my passion is the delivery of these services,” he says. “It is exciting to again focus on service implementation.”
Dr. Cameron serves on the editorial boards of The Behavior Analyst Today and the Journal of Speech – language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis. He has held positions as clinical director, and vice president of research and development, with behavior analysis agencies in Massachusetts. He also maintained a private clinical practice in Marblehead, MA.
Dr. Cameron earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology, and a Master of Arts degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, from Northeastern University in Boston. He completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Rhode Island College, Providence, RI.