Ruby Mannankara-Cabrera, EdD
Assistant Professor of Practice, Educational Psychology
Contact
Bio
Dr. Ruby Mannankara-Cabrera is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She earned her EdD in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University, with a research focus on culturally responsive practices in behavior analysis. She holds an MS in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University and a BA in Psychology and Religion from Wake Forest University. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA).
Dr. Mannankara-Cabrera's professional experience spans direct clinical practice, providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across a range of settings, to the supervision and mentorship of graduate students in behavior analysis. She has also held clinical leadership roles and led training and clinical development initiatives focused on quality assurance and ethical practice in ABA service delivery. Her career has included teaching appointments in both graduate and undergraduate ABA programs.
Her research interests include culturally responsive care within behavior analysis, the development of culturally inclusive and congruent treatment models, training and clinical development for future and early-career behavior analysts, and the role of therapeutic relationships in enhancing quality of care within ABA service delivery.
Teaching
- EDP3673 - Intro to Exp. Behavior Analysis
- EDP5003 - Psychological Learning Theories
- EDP6403 - Ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis
Research Interests
- Culturally Response Care in Behavior Analysis
- Therapeutic relationships in ABA Service Delivery
- Clinical Training & Development
Degrees
- Ed.D., Learning & Organizational Change, Baylor University, 2023
- M.S., Applied Behavior Analysis, Northeastern University, 2015
- B.A., Psychology & Religion, Wake Forest University, 2013
Presentations
- “Culture, Care, and Compassion in ABA: Unpacking the Essentials of Culturally Responsive Practice.” Bierman Autism Centers
- Venue: Bierman Autism Centers, Webinar
- “Building Cultural Responsiveness as a Behavior Analyst: Initial Steps for Incorporating Cultural Awareness, Competence, and Humility into Practice.”
- Venue: Action Behavior Centers, Webinar
- “Paper: Evolving Cultural Responsiveness as a Behavior Analyst: Incorporating Cultural Competence and Humility into Practice.”
- Venue: Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, New Orleans, LA
- “Components of Cultural Responsiveness: Recognizing Cultural Humility and Cultural Competence as a Behavior Analyst.”
- Venue: Tennessee Association for Behavior Analysis (TABA), Nashville, TN
- “Current Practices of Culturally Responsive Care in Behavior Analysis: A Multiple-Case Study.”
- Venue: Tennessee Association for Behavior Analysis (TABA), Nashville, TN
- “Understanding the Cultural Concepts in Cultural Responsiveness.”
- Venure: Black Applied Behavior Analysts (BABA), Webinar
- "Understanding Cultural Responsiveness in Behavior Analytic Treatment."
- Venue: Tennessee Association for Behavior Analysts (TABA) Conference, Nashville, TN
- “Nothing but NET: Natural Environment Teaching in the Home and Community.”
- Venue: Autism Society of Greater New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
- “Nothing but NET: Application of Natural Environment Teaching using Verbal Behavior within Applied Clinic Settings.”
- Venue: Gulf Coast ABA Conference, New Orleans, LA
