Patricia Zemantic, PhD, is a new faculty member at UNMC.
- Name: Patricia Zemantic, PhD
- Hometown: Lebanon, Connecticut
- Title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Research/professional interests:
- Verbal behavior
- Assessment of autism spectrum disorder
- Interventions to promote caregiver well-being and family empowerment
- Caregiver-implemented interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities
How I fell in love with working with children with disabilities: Although I grew up with a sibling with autism spectrum disorder, I didn’t become interested in working with children with disabilities until I got a job working as a behavior therapist. It was really fun to get to watch my students progress over the years, and I loved being able to be there and help them connect with and make friendships with their typically developing peers.
Education:
- PhD, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2019
- MS, University of Oregon, Eugene, 2016
- BA, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut, 2008
Memberships:
- Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International
Three things people may not know about me:
- I have a tiny miniature pincher, Chihuahua, and rat terrier mix dog named Paco.
- I just finished binge-watching Battlestar Galactica. Now I totally understand that Portlandia skit. It is the best television show ever.
- I really love organizing. If I weren’t a psychologist, I would definitely be a professional organizer. I love finding the most perfect container to store things in – it’s just so satisfying.