Clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship

The Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology and adheres to the Houston Conference standards and model for specialty training in clinical neuropsychology.  Members of our faculty are involved in leadership and as delegates for the Minnesota Update Conference focused on updating training standards for the field. The fellowship provides advanced competence training in clinical neuropsychology focused on early childhood through early adulthood in a pediatric medical setting. The objective of the fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology is to provide training in culturally informed neuropsychological evaluation of children and adolescents with a wide range of medical conditions that impact the central nervous system. Fellows are trained as practitioner-scholars through a focus on direct clinical care and evidence-based practice. These skills are developed through individual assessment and multidisciplinary experiences in assessment and consultation. Individual and group supervision follows a developmental model. Multicultural competence and ethical practice are integral components of all areas of training. The fellowship is designed to provide trainees with the experience required for state licensure and to meet the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) certification eligibility requirements for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology as well as the ABPP Subspecialty Diploma in Pediatric Neuropsychology.

The training model of the program, a practitioner-scholar model, emphasizes clinical competence, the ability to be an effective consumer of research, and the ability to apply knowledge of research to clinical work, which are all key aspects of the training program at Children’s. The training at Children’s offers a depth and breadth of clinical opportunities. Trainees are expected to learn to incorporate scholarship fluidly with their clinical work. The training emphasis is clinical, comprising most of the fellow’s time, with the remainder of time focused on didactic and research activities. The fellow will conduct approximately two evaluations per week supervised by rotating faculty. Evaluations are completed with a wide range of patient populations including, but not limited to, epilepsy, cancer, hydrocephalus, neurofibromatosis, acquired brain injury (e.g., stroke, TBI, etc.), solid organ transplant, neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disorder, etc.), and genetic syndromes. The majority of clinical experiences are provided in outpatient settings, with inpatient evaluation experiences (i.e., rehabilitation, EMU) available as well. There are two primary tracks for which the fellows will designate upon ranking that vary in site location, supervisors, and patient population focus. Both tracks at Children’s offer a unique training opportunity in the neuropsychological assessment of bilingual (Spanish-English) pediatric patients for bilingual and monolingual fellows.

  • Track 1 – Pediatric Neuropsychology Emphasis (Match Code: 8521): In addition to two weekly outpatient cases focused primarily on neurologically-relevant medical populations, the fellow will provide consultative services in the Children’s Neuro-Oncology and Neurofibromatosis clinics. Additional clinical training experiences are available in multi-disciplinary programs dedicated to concussion, epilepsy surgery, cardiology, demyelinating disorders, rehabilitation, and functional neurological disorders.

  • Track 2 – Developmental Neuropsychology Emphasis (Match Code: 8522): The fellow will conduct 2 weekly outpatient evaluations with neurologically-relevant medical populations. The fellow will provide consultative services in 22Q Deletion Syndrome, Down Syndrome, and Complex Care Medical Services clinics. Additional clinical training experiences are available in multidisciplinary programs dedicated to foster care, adolescent medicine, and child abuse.

Educational training experiences include weekly neuropsychology didactics (e.g., Neuropsychology Seminar and 2-year ABPP/ABCN Written Exam preparation course) as well as weekly seminars focused on professional development, group supervision, and didactics on various topics offered through the broader Children’s Postdoctoral Program in Child Clinical Psychology. Supplemental didactic opportunities are also offered across Children’s and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (e.g., brain cutting). Additionally, fellows will participate in a research and/or program development project, with opportunities to develop original projects or participate in ongoing projects with faculty members. Please see our program brochure for more information.

Application and Selection Process

Qualified applicants will have completed a doctoral degree in an APA/CPA-accredited clinical, school, or counseling psychology program. Completion of an APA/CPA-accredited pre-doctoral internship is also required. Candidates should have extensive experience working with children and adolescents and experience in neuropsychological assessment. Successful dissertation defense is required prior to commencement of postdoctoral training.

Applicants for the postdoctoral fellowship are asked to submit the following. Please do not submit additional materials beyond what is listed below:

  1. Letter of interest describing relevant training, work experience, track(s) to which the applicant is applying (i.e., Pediatric Neuropsychology Emphasis, Developmental Neuropsychology Emphasis, or both), and goals for postdoctoral fellowship. This letter should be no more than two pages single-spaced.
  2. One copy of a current CV.
  3. Official doctoral degree graduate school transcript, which may be sent electronically or by mail from the academic institution to Lana Harder, PhD, ABPP, 1935 Medical District Drive, F5.11 Dallas, Texas 75235. Please make sure that the link to access electronic transcript(s) does not expire before the application deadline.
  4. Two sample neuropsychological evaluation reports with all identifying patient information removed. It is preferred that both reports are pediatric cases.
  5. Three letters of recommendation. Please note, letters must be sent directly from the letter writers via email to npfellowship@childrens.com.
  6. Doctoral training verification form from APPCN website for candidates who have not completed the doctoral degree at the time of application.

Deadline for receipt of all materials is January 3rd. Please send application materials and/or any questions by email to Lana Harder, PhD, ABPP at npfellowship@childrens.com

Interviews are arranged following review of applications. All interviews will be held virtually.

The Children’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is a participant in the APPCN Resident Matching Program conducted by National Matching Services, Inc. Details regarding the matching process can be obtained at the APPCN website (http://www.appcn.org). 

 

Clinical Neuropsychology Program Faculty by Track

Faculty Associated with Track One

Angela Canas, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Canas is a Spanish-bilingual clinical neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center. Dr. Canas conducts neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients with an array of complex medical, developmental, and neurological conditions, with an emphasis on Spanish-monolingual and bilingual patients, as well as those with neurofibromatosis, type I (NF1) and congenital heart disease (CHD). She is the Lead Pediatric Neuropsychologist for the Children’s Health/UTSW Neurofibromatosis Program and the Bilingual Neuropsychologist for the Children's Health Heart Center Fontan Program. She has a special interest in the equitable assessment of Spanish-speaking patients, as well as patient/family-centered care coordination. Her research interests primarily revolve around the cognitive, academic, and psychosocial outcomes of NF1, CHD, and dual language exposure. Dr. Canas participates in research projects sponsored by the NF Clinical Trials Consortium and the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative. She has published in the area of Spanish-bilingual assessment and recently co-authored a book chapter on NF1 and NF2-Related Schwannomatosis. Dr. Canas holds a National Certification in School Psychology and was previously elected to the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society.  She is also the Co-Chair of the Children’s Health Neuropsychology Bilingual Committee, serves on the UTSW Clinical Training Committee, and participates in the education and clinical supervision of interns and fellows.

Jordan Constance, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Constance is a pediatric rehabilitation neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center. She completed her Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at Michigan Medicine. She works primarily within the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on the inpatient medical and rehabilitation units at Children’s Medical Center Dallas to treat and assess children and adolescents with acquired brain injuries and other neurological conditions. She has a special interest in early childhood development and neurodevelopmental assessment. Dr. Constance is involved in various professional organizations and participates in the education and clinical supervision of trainees.

Candace Genest, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Genest is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Genest earned her PhD at Fuller Seminary Graduate School of Psychology. Dr. Genest works in Children’s Health Rehabilitation and Therapy Services, where she has the opportunity to collaborate with speech, occupational, and physical therapists and participate in multidisciplinary evaluations for children with a range neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Genest specializes in conducting evaluations with young children and those with complex medical and genetic presentations. Dr. Genest is Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology. She serves on the CEU review committee for Children’s Health, is the Co-Chair of the UTSW ABPP Resource Committee, and participates in the education and clinical supervision of trainees.

Lana Harder, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Harder is Chief Neuropsychologist and the Director of the Neuropsychology Service and Neuropsychology training program at Children’s Health. She holds dual faculty appointments as Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at UT Southwestern. Dr. Harder is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology and is a board-certified Subspecialist in Pediatric Neuropsychology. Nationally, Dr. Harder serves as the President of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN). She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology and two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors of APPCN. She also serves on the Board of Directors and Medical and Scientific Council of the Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association. Dr. Harder is a fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Dr. Harder earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She completed post-doctoral fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Harder has served as a Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Medical Center since 2008. She was a founding member and is the current Co-Director of the Children’s Medical Center Pediatric Demyelinating Diseases Clinic. Inspired by her work evaluating children with rare disorders, Dr. Harder published the first study on home-based pediatric tele-neuropsychology. Additional research interests include brain imaging correlates of neuropsychological functioning in demyelinating disorders, and longitudinal cognitive and psychosocial outcomes for pediatric multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and neuromyelitis optica. Dr. Harder also participates in a multi-site longitudinal investigation on the impact of cancer and its treatment on early development in infants and toddlers.

Erin Kennedy, Psy.D.

Dr. Kennedy is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She earned her doctorate from Biola University – Rosemead School of Psychology and completed her pre-doctoral internship at University of Missouri Health Sciences Psychology Consortium. She completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Health, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. She has a primary emphasis in conducting neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents with epilepsy. She is a part of the epilepsy surgery multidisciplinary team and conducts inpatient evaluations in the epilepsy monitoring unity (EMU) to assist with determining a patient’s candidacy for surgery. Her research and clinical interests include cognitive outcomes following temporal lobectomy, monitoring treatment efficacy for patients with epileptic encephalopathies, and developing abbreviated screening evaluations to increase reach and support for patients with epilepsy and their families. Dr. Kennedy also participates in education and clinical supervision of trainees.

Joy Neumann, Psy.D.

Dr. Neumann is a Bilingual Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Medical Center Dallas and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Albizu University, pre-doctoral internship at Texas Children’s Hospital, and two-year post-doctoral neuropsychology fellowship at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Dr. Neumann is a native Spanish-speaker who specializes in the neuropsychological evaluation of Spanish-Bilingual pediatric patients with a range of medical conditions, as well as those referred for inpatient pre-surgical epilepsy evaluations. Dr. Neumann is a published researcher on the topic of Spanish-Bilingual assessment and serves as a clinical supervisor to trainees interested in that specialty. 

Erica Pollock, Ph.D., NCSP

Dr. Pollock is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Pollock is housed within the Department of Rehabilitation and Therapy Services, specializing in neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with acquired brain injuries and/or other medical conditions with co-occurring behavioral disorders or psychiatric conditions. Her clinical and research interests include acquired brain injury, behavioral disorders, and trauma. Dr. Pollock earned her doctorate at the University of North Carolina. She completed a two-year postdoctoral neuropsychology fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, as well as a pre-doctoral clinical psychology internship at Terry Children’s Psychiatric Center.

Marsha Siebenmorgen, Ph.D.

Dr. Siebenmorgen conducts neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients with an array of complex medical, developmental, and neurological conditions, with an emphasis on solid organ transplant, cancer and blood disorders, and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion. Her research interests include cognitive functioning in single ventricle heart patients, outcomes following cancer diagnosis and treatment, and pediatric concussion symptom and recovery. Her clinical interests include establishing a method to determine the need for consultation versus comprehensive evaluations in patients. Her approach includes working with children and families to develop an understanding of the multiple levels of individual and psychosocial factors that may contribute to a child’s functioning, so as to provide intervention recommendations to support optimal developmental outcomes. 

Andrea Wahlberg, Ph.D., NCSP

Dr. Wahlberg is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Health, Children’s Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is credentialed with the National Register of Health Service Psychologists and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Dr. Wahlberg completed her Ph.D. in School Psychology with specialization in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Texas A&M University and completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Minnesota Medical School with rotations in Pediatric Neuropsychology and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship training in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Health, Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Wahlberg provides comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients with a wide variety of medical and developmental conditions which affect neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning including cancers, cerebrovascular conditions, epilepsy, congenital brain malformations, moderate to severe brain injury, meningitis/encephalitis, transplant, and various genetic conditions. She works closely with families and providers of children in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and on the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. She also works closely with families and schools to assist in school reintegration following neurological injury and medical intervention and to obtain appropriate educational services for students with neurocognitive deficits which affect their learning at school, psychosocial development, and everyday functioning. Dr. Wahlberg also serves as a clinical supervisor of doctoral students, predoctoral interns, and postdoctoral fellows and provides mentorship for other students in training. 

Alison Wilkinson-Smith, Ph.D., ABPP

Alison Wilkinson-Smith, Ph.D., ABPP, is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and a professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern. She specializes in the assessment of children with complex psychiatric and medical conditions. She is also the co-director of the Multidisciplinary Pediatric Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic. She has a Ph.D. in School Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. She completed internship at University of Oklahoma Health Consortium and fellowship at University of Minnesota Medical School.

Faculty Associated with Track Two

Veronica Bordes Edgar, Ph.D., ABPP

Veronica Bordes Edgar, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified neuropsychologist and Professor with joint faculty appointments in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. She serves as a bilingual Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Health. At UT Southwestern Medical Center, she serves as Co-Director for the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and is the Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. She earned her PhD from Arizona State University after completing her internship at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She completed postdoctoral training in neuropsychology at The University of Minnesota Medical School. She is Board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in Clinical Neuropsychology and Pediatric Neuropsychology. Her areas of expertise include cultural and bilingual issues in assessment, genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders, and interdisciplinary teaching of medical and psychology trainees.

Dr. Bordes Edgar is an APA Council Representative for the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology and President-Elect the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN). She is Associate Editor of Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology and on the Editorial Board for Child Neuropsychology. Dr. Bordes Edgar is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA, Division 40), the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) and the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS). Dr. Bordes Edgar received the 2021 Tony Wong Diversity Award for Outstanding Work Related to Diversity as a Mentor from the NAN and the 2023 Jerry Sweet Leadership Award from the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology. She also accepted the 2023 Hispanic Health Leadership Award from the National Hispanic Medical Association for the work done by HNS.

Beatriz (Tish) MacDonald Wer, Ph.D.

Beatriz (Tish) MacDonald Wer, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor with joint faculty appointments in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. She serves as a bilingual Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and is the Lead Neuropsychologist at My Health My Resources in Tarrant County at the Autism Collaborative Care Clinic. She earned her PhD from the University of Denver, with specialties in neuropsychology, multicultural awareness, and statistics. Dr. MacDonald completed her internship and postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Dr. MacDonald is from Guatemala and is an invited faculty member of the Master’s Program in Neuropsychology at the Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala. Her areas of expertise include program development centered in equity and access, cultural and bilingual assessment and research, genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders, and training and education. She is a primary supervisor on Track 2 – Developmental Neuropsychology

Dr. MacDonald Wer co-developed the SALUD Strutt MacDonald Equitable Healthcare Model and the Culturally Expressive and Responsive Supervision Model in Neuropsychology. These models have propelled the implementation of programs, such as the Multicultural Excellence in Neuropsychology Training and Evaluation (MENTE) Program at University of New Mexico Hospitals and the Inclusive Excellence Program in the Psychology Division at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. MacDonald serves on several national and regional boards and committees focused on increasing healthcare equity, fostering mentorship and sponsorship, and strengthening the student pathways. Dr. MacDonald received the 2018 Tony Wong Award for Outstanding Work Related to Diversity as an Early Career Professional from the NAN and most recently the 2023 Mentorship in Cultural Neuropsychology Award from the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society.

Eman K. Rettig, Psy.D.

Dr. Rettig is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She completed her pre-doctoral internship specializing in pediatric neuropsychology at Dell Children’s Medical Center and the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. She then completed her post-doctoral fellowship specializing in pediatric neuropsychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Rettig has held leadership positions at various organizations and is a new incoming board member of KnowNeuropsychology, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free, high-quality neuroscience education across the globe.

At Children’s, Dr. Rettig is housed at the nationally ranked Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. She completes outpatient neuropsychology evaluations for pediatric patients presenting with a variety of brain tumors, cancers, and blood disorders with comorbid medical, neurological, and genetic complications. Dr. Rettig also has an interest in program development and is working to create multidisciplinary clinics in which risk-stratified neurocognitive monitoring can be implemented. This pairs well with her dedication to conducting evidence-based neuropsychology practice, offering culturally responsive care, and providing equitable healthcare across the course of recovery. Additional clinical and research interests include acquired and traumatic brain injuries, disorders of consciousness, measure development, culturally responsive practice, health literacy, and multi-site longitudinal investigations on the impact of cancer on cognition.

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