Meara McMahon, PhD, BCBA-D

Meara McMahon, PhD, BCBA-D (she/her) is a board-certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level who manages intensive outpatient and outpatient cases in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Marcus Autism Center and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Center for Advanced Pediatrics. She also serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. McMahon’s clinical and research interests include choice-based antecedent and reinforcement strategies for the prevention of disruptive mealtime behavior and treatment of pediatric feeding disorder. Dr. McMahon was introduced to the field of ABA in 2012 as an NIH-funded undergraduate research assistant conducting descriptive and functional analyses of challenging behavior. This work involved assessing challenging behavior across changes in psychotropic medication regimens for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She went on to pursue her master’s degree in Human Services Psychology (ABA Track) at University of Maryland, Baltimore County while working full-time as a behavioral therapist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program. Dr. McMahon earned her doctorate in Educational Psychology (School Psychology Area of Emphasis) from The University of Georgia and completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowships at Marcus Autism Center in the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program and Severe Behavior Program. She has clinical and research experience in feeding, school consultation, and challenging behavior.