John Umbreit - Professor


Ph.D., University of Southern California

Teaching: Severe handicaps and behavior analysis

John Umbreit is Professor in the Special Education Program at the University of Arizona. He specializes in the areas of Positive Behavioral Support and behavioral disorders. His research focuses on functional assessment-based intervention and PBS in natural environments such as schools, homes, and the workplace.

Dr. Umbreit earned his Ph.D. in special education at the University of Southern California and did post-doctorate study in behavior analysis at Harvard University. He has also been a visiting professor in special education at the University of Washington, an Editorial Board member or manuscript reviewer for 13 professional journals, and a frequent reviewer of grant proposals for the U. S. Department of Education.

Dr. Umbreit serves as Principal Investigator of the Arizona Behavioral Initiative, and also co-directs (with Dr. Jolenea Ferro) the Behavioral Support Specialist training program, a sequence of web-based courses that provides formal training for behavioral specialists in schools. In the past 20 years, he has been Principal Investigator for 13 research and personnel preparation grants, with total funding of more than $4.5 million.