What is a Hub Team?
Project ECHO™ (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a movement to demonopolize knowledge and amplify local capacity to provide best practice care for underserved people all over the world. The ECHO model is committed to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable populations by equipping communities with the right knowledge, at the right place, at the right time.
This low-cost, high-impact intervention is accomplished by linking the interdisciplinary specialist “Hub Team” with participants through teleECHO programs. Hub Team members mentor and share their expertise across a virtual network via scenario-based learning, enabling ECHO participants to apply best practices and lessons learned in their own communities.
Meet the Hub Team
Dr. Maya Matheis
Maya Matheis, Ph.D., M.S.W., is a licensed clinical psychologist and faculty at the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. She has over 15 years of experience working with autistic individuals across the lifespan. She completed her MSW at Washington University in St. Louis, her PhD in clinical psychology at Louisiana State University, and her pre/postdoctoral training at the UC Davis MIND Institute, where she completed the Autism Research Training Program (ARTP). Her research interests focus on mental health needs in the autistic population and community-based implementation of interventions for autism, with particular emphasis on training and support for non-specialists such as teachers, parents, and community health workers. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics related to autism. Outside of her academic and clinical activities, Dr. Maya is passionate about literature and the visual arts.
Dr. Kelsey Oliver
Kelsey Oliver, Ph.D., BCBA, is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who started in the field over 15 years ago as an inclusive preschool teacher. Dr. Oliver has a bachelors in Psychology, a doctorate in Special Education, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is passionate about teaching educators, service providers, and families to utilize person-centered supports to improve quality of life outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Oliver has authored numerous research articles, a policy brief, and book chapters on topics related to family support, teacher training, evidence-based practices for autism, and inclusion. Dr. Oliver is a proud member of the neurodivergent community.
Dr. Marija Čolić
Dr. Marija Čolić, BCBA, LBA, earned her master’s in psychology and Ph.D. in special education from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She teaches at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Special Education department. With over ten years of experience working with individuals with autism, she has been active in the field of behavior analysis since 2014. Dr. Marija has been providing parent training and other forms of support to the families of autistic individuals. She has published multiple articles on family stigma, how to support families of neurodivergent individuals, and the cultural aspects of behavior analysis in leading journals. Since May 2020, she has been hosting free discussion meetings for Serbian parents of children with disabilities and professionals on applied behavior analysis. Her primary research interests include exploring stigma among families of individuals with disabilities and developing ways to support parents. Beyond her academic pursuits, Marija is passionate about surfing, the ocean, and marine life.