Beth Pfeiffer, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA – REACH Lab DIRECTOR
Beth earned a BA in psychology and special education from Arcadia University, an MS in occupational therapy with a specialization in pediatrics from Temple University, and a PhD in occupational therapy from Nova Southeastern University.
She is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences teaching courses in the doctorate of occupational therapy and mentoring research in the entry-level and post-professional occupational therapy programs.
Dr. Pfeiffer’s research focuses on treatment and measurement of person environmental interactions in individuals across the lifespan with autism spectrum and mental health disorders.
Dr. Pfeiffer maintains her clinical practice in the area of pediatrics.
Luke Tomczuk is the REACH Lab Peer Interventionist. He graduated from the College of Liberal Arts with a bachelor of arts in history in 2019 and his Masters in public policy in 2023. During his undergraduate career, he participated in Temple Student Government as the first Disability Resources and Services representative. He previously has worked at Student Center Operations on campus as an Information Desk Attendant and Community Behavioral Health as a Community Autism Peer Specialist (CAPS). Luke was recently appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney to be a commissioner on the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities.
Currently, Luke performs travel training interventions with young autistic adults at Community Integrated Services. He has been with the research team for over four years. Luke proudly identifies as an autistic young alumnus. The best part about his job is watching the progression of the people he works with, from their first session to travel independence. When he is not working, he likes to spend time with friends and family and watch all sports on TV.
Amber Davidson, MPH is the REACH Lab Coordinator. Amber earned her BS in Chemistry with a BioSci option at the University of Pittsburgh, and her MPH at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). Amber’s research focuses on individual’s community participation. She is currently the research coordinator on a peer mediated transportation training intervention to increase community participation for transitional aged you and young adults.
Prior to her work at Temple University Amber has worked in research with investigators at several other institutions: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Villanova University and others. Her experiences include contributing on grant funded projects of various sizes from recruitment through publications.
Amber’s enjoys spending her free time with her husband, three children Samuel; (13), Luke (10), and Mary (7), friends and pets. Her family and friends enjoys many types of adventures including running, hiking, skiing, swimming and traveling. She is a huge Philadelphia sports fan and can also be found watching sporting events in her downtime.
Laura Slugg, BS is a Research Coordinator for the REACH Lab at Temple University. Laura is primarily responsible for participant recruitment, study protocol implementation and data management for the lab’s research studies in progress.
Prior to this, Laura has worked as a Therapeutic Support Specialist (TSS) for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at Indian Creek Foundation in Souderton, PA; as an Emergency Children’s Shelter Worker for Child, Inc. in Wilmington, DE; and as a Child Care Specialist for the Child Care Information Services of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Laura earned her Bachelors of Science at the University of Delaware.
Jodi Matriccino, BA works as a Part-Time Research Assistant in the REACH Lab at Temple University. She is primarily charged with data collection and assisting other team members in their research and projects.
Jodi graduated from the University of Scranton with a bachelor’s degree in Communication. Initially, Jodi worked as an Executive Meeting Planner, working with medical communication companies. She planned all aspects of conferences and symposiums for major pharmaceutical corporations.
In 2001 Jodi went to West Chester University to earn her Elementary Teaching Certification. She worked for Methacton School District for 16 years teaching both fourth and sixth grades.
Currently Jodi works part time for LearnWell, a company dedicated to supporting students in various mental health facilities. She works as a certified teacher with students ranging in age from 13-18 years old, in a partial hospital setting. She helps students to maintain their academic studies while receiving treatment.