Breaking Barriers with Humor and Heart: Dr. Elizabeth Hughes Fong’s Contributions to the Culturally Sensitive Practice of Applied Behavior Analysis
Lead like Hughes Fong: use humor, heart, and humility to make ABA more inclusive.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Catagnus et al. (2025) wrote a tribute to Dr. Elizabeth Hughes Fong. They traced her 40-year path in behavior analysis. The paper shows how she used humor and heart to push for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The authors used stories, photos, and quotes from peers. No data were collected. The goal was to honor her legacy and inspire current BCBAs.
What they found
The main finding is a model of leadership. Hughes Fong led with cultural humility, humor, and clear ethics. She mentored women and people of color to stay in the field.
Her tactic: listen first, laugh often, and admit what you do not know. This built trust with clients and co-workers.
How this fits with other research
Mathur et al. (2022) extends this tribute. They turned her equity call into a real CRT-rooted training plan for BCBAs. Where Hughes Fong gave the heart, they give the homework.
McComas et al. (2025) also extends her work. They zoom in on ableism against autistic clients. Hughes Fong asked for inclusion; they show step-by-step ways to audit goals and language.
Catagnus et al. (2022) seems to contradict the happy tone. Their survey shows many BCBAs still fear talking about racism and emotion. The two papers fit once you see the gap: the tribute shows the ideal, the survey shows we are not there yet.
Why it matters
You can copy Hughes Fong today. Start team meetings with a story that makes everyone laugh. Ask your client what holiday they really celebrate and weave it into sessions. When you supervise, admit a mistake you made this week. These small acts build the culturally humble field she imagined.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
With gratitude and grief, we dedicate this tribute to Lyz (known as Beth to her immediate family), an extraordinary person whose impact on all who knew her is immeasurable.Lyz passed away unexpectedly in early 2024.To her family, friends, colleagues, students, and those whose lives she impacted, she was a bright light that brought out the best in people through humor and kindness.Her story motivates us to continue her legacy of compassion, resilience, and belonging.This paper is a reflection on her life, a grief ritual, helping us cope by reading, writing, and discussing her memory to digest our profoundly painful loss (see Kestenbaum & Halsey, 2023).Even in death, Lyz united us; in this spirit, we come together to share the story of a pioneering figure in behavior analysis with gratitude for her friendship, and celebration of her life and extraordinary career.The behavior analytic community widely recognized Lyz as a leader in bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to the forefront of applied behavior analysis (ABA), advancing cultural sensitivity and diversity.Her career path included clinical roles, teaching and mentorship, research, editorial work, presentations, social media appearances, and policy-change efforts.Lyz understood the challenges faced by minorities
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2025 · doi:10.1007/s40617-025-01083-8