Michael E. Kelley, Ph.D., LP, BCBA-D is a Clinical Professor and Staff Psychologist/Behavior Analyst at the University of Michigan Medical School whose work spans severe behavior disorders, autism, translational research, and evidence-based intervention development.
Clinical Professor, University of Michigan Medical School
Staff Psychologist and Behavior Analyst, University of Michigan Medical School
Editor-in-Chief, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice
Dr. Kelley's scholarly program addresses clinically important behavior problems, translational models of relapse and renewal, and practical intervention systems that improve the precision and utility of assessment and treatment.
Research focuses on functional analysis, severe behavior disorders, and intervention strategies that improve the precision and practicality of treatment for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. This includes work on communication training, reinforcement arrangements, and treatment delivery variables that shape maintenance and effectiveness.
A major line of scholarship examines renewal, resurgence, behavioral persistence, and related relapse phenomena across basic, translational, and applied contexts. The goal is to understand why behavior returns after treatment and how mitigation strategies can support durable outcomes.
Recent and ongoing work extends behavior-analytic care through telehealth, clinician and parent training, service-access models, and solutions to system-level barriers such as diagnostic waitlists. This line connects laboratory principles to implementation in clinics, schools, and family settings.
Dr. Kelley's career connects academic leadership, clinical care, mentorship, and translational research across major training and treatment settings.
He earned his B.S. from Saint Joseph's University, M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Louisiana State University, and completed internship and postdoctoral training through the Marcus Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
His academic appointments have included Emory University, the University of Southern Maine, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Florida Institute of Technology, the University of Scranton, and now the University of Michigan.
Across those settings, he has combined scholarship with program development, training leadership, and direct clinical work in psychology and behavior analysis.
Beyond publications, Dr. Kelley shapes the field through editorial service, training, grant leadership, and program development.
Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 2025–2030.
Directed severe behavior and autism-related programs across academic medical and university settings.
Principal investigator or co-investigator on NIH, DoD, foundation, and international training projects.
Supervised fellows, interns, dissertation committees, and graduate training across multiple institutions.
Fisher, W. W., Kelley, M. E., & Lomas, J. E. (2003). Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
An influential paper on improving visual analysis in single-case methodology, with strong citation impact.
Podlesnik, C. A., Kelley, M. E., Jimenez-Gomez, C., & Bouton, M. E. (2017). Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
A key review connecting renewal effects to treatment maintenance and relapse of problem behavior.
Kelley, M. E., Liddon, C. J., Ribeiro, A. E. G., & Podlesnik, C. A. (2015). Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
This work links experimental analysis to clinically meaningful relapse processes.
Kelley, M. E., Clark, R. J., McGarry, K. M., Henry, J. E., Morgan, A. C., Gadaire, D. M., & Sloman, K. N. (2023). Behavior Analysis in Practice.
A recent example of clinically practical research on treatment efficiency and implementation.
Henry, J. E., Kelley, M. E., LaRue, R. H., Kettering, T. L., Gadaire, D. M., & Sloman, K. N. (2021). Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
This publication synthesizes methodological refinements in functional analysis.
McGarry, K. M., Kelley, M. E., Sloman, K. N. et al. (2023). Journal of Behavioral Education.
Illustrates a practical service-delivery direction for scalable behavior-analytic training.
Direct paths to scholarly profiles, clinical affiliation, and professional correspondence.