our team

READY TO FACILITATE YOUR RESEARCH

SCERT's team is ready to accommodate researchers and post secondary institutions who are interested in performing studies geared toward educational best practices and quality of life improvements for youth with NDCs.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Herman

Armando

Jake

Samira

HERMAN ERDOGMUS | Director General, Summit School

Herman has spent his career working in the educational sector with youth with developmental disabilities. He has served as Director General of Summit School since 2013. In this capacity, he has overseen the continued growth of the school. Under his direction new educational, arts, and vocational programs have been added to the school's long list of innovative educational initiatives. Herman's objective to make Summit School a contribution to the global research community is the driving reason for his support of the SCERT program.

ED CUKIER | SCERT Co-Founder & Clinical Consultant

Ed Cukier co-founded the SCERT and served as its Clinical Director until 2019. He currently acts as SCERT's clinical consultant, bringing with him over 45 years of experience in education, social affairs, and rehabilitation. Ed started his career as a Child Care Worker and went on to become a Special Education Teacher, Crisis Counselor, Educational Psychologist, School Board administrator, and most recently, Department Head of Psychological Services at Summit School. Ed has given numerous presentations, training workshops, studies, and won awards for innovative projects with special needs populations.

DR. ARMANDO BERTONE | SCERT Director & Co-Founder; Associate Professor, McGill University

Dr. Armando Bertone is an Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar of School/Applied Child Psychology in the Educational and Counselling Psychology Department at McGill University. A licensed neuropsychologist and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr Bertone is the director of the Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory for Autism and Development (PNLab.ca), where he leads both laboratory- and school-based research programs. The aim of the PNLab’s work is to develop and improve attentional and behavioral interventions for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental conditions based on their perceptual and cognitive strengths and challenges in at different periods of development. Dr. Bertone’s work has been published in top-tier journals in the fields of developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, and autism. His work has been supported by provincial (FRQS) and national funding agencies (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC).

DR. JAKE BURACK | Scientific Director & Professor at McGill University

Dr. Jacob A. (Jake) Burack is a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University (Montreal). He is the founder and director of the McGill Youth Study Team (MYST), through which his work and that of his students is guided by the motto of "excellence in the study and education of all children." Jake is a founding co-investigator of two national networks funded by the CIHR – the Autism Research Training Program (ART) and the National Network on Aboriginal Mental Health (NAMHR) -- and a member of the Research Management Committee of the (CIHR-funded) Kids Brain Health Network. He is also a longtime member of the board of directors of Summit School.

DR SAMIRA MOUMNE | Clinical Director, Summit School

Dr. Samira Moumne, PhD, is a licensed child psychologist working at Summit School and in private practice. She completed her graduate studies in the School/Applied Child Psychology Program at McGill University. As Clinical Director at SCERT, Dr. Moumne draws on her clinical and research experience to bridge connections between school staff, student families, and external scholars conducting their research at Summit School. Her goals are to facilitate applied research projects intended to promote the psychosocial and behavioural development of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions, and to communicate research-based interventions and strategies to these individuals, their parents, educators, professionals, and the community at large. Dr. Moumne’s objective to make research accessible and practical for neurodiverse students is her primary motivation for her engagement in SCERT.