About New2Neuropsychology

The New2Neuropsychology (N2N) Mission

N2N aims to facilitate greater equity and inclusion in neuropsychology through outreach to historically underrepresented students, with the ultimate goal of improving access and representation for underserved communities.

 Objective

To support students in successful matriculation through neuropsychology training programs by providing the following:

    1. Easy access to practical resources about neuropsychology training
    2. Connections to neuropsychologists from underrepresented backgrounds
    3. Warm hand-offs to mentorship and networking opportunities


N2N Committees

Outreach Program

The N2N Outreach Program Committee partners with colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to educate historically underrepresented college students about the field of neuropsychology and the training pathway. The Outreach Program Committee is currently partnering primarily with Historically Black Colleges & Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and community colleges. 

The Outreach Program Committee plans events to serve the needs of students at these institutions including presentations, interactive “brain games”, and question & answer sessions. These events provide exposure for students to neuropsychologists from underrepresented backgrounds and provide institutions with textbooks about training in neuropsychology.

If you’re interested in hosting a N2N event at your institution, please contact us here!

Resource Development

The N2N Resource Development Committee designs and maintains the N2N website, including gathering and organizing website content for interested students and professional neuropsychologists and creating original website content to support the mission of N2N. Additionally, the Resource Development Committee creates N2N presentations, pamphlets, and flyers, and procures textbooks and additional resources for students.

If you have feedback about this website or resources you think would be useful for students, please let us know here!

Student Engagement

The N2N Student Engagement Committee manages N2N social media activities to engage interested students and facilitates warm hand-offs for students (e.g., through the N2N Student Liaison program) to opportunities for mentorship, networking, and shadowing experiences. The Student Engagement Committee also plans networking “Meet & Learn” events that take place at professional neuropsychology conferences throughout the year and a “Neuropsych Starter Pack Giveaway” each fall.

If you’re interested in hosting a N2N networking “Meet & Learn” event or would like to provide shadowing opportunities for interested students, please contact us here!


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N2N Leadership

Taylor Schmitt, Ph.D.

N2N Founder & Director
Pronouns: she/her

Taylor is a young woman with brown hair. She is smiling at the camera.

Dr. Taylor Schmitt is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Neuropsychology Program at the University of Michigan, Department of Psychiatry. She earned her bachelor’s degree at DePaul University and her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Saint Louis University, including a predoctoral internship at the University of Oklahoma, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dr. Schmitt is passionate about advocacy and using outreach and science to empower voices of individuals from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. Her research focuses on equitable training and education practices in psychology and neuropsychology, patient-centered care practices, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in students and marginalized communities, and cognitive and behavioral outcomes following deep brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson’s disease.  

In her free time, Dr. Schmitt enjoys playing with her dog (“Boomer”), hanging out at coffeeshops, crafting, dancing, reading, and getting together with friends and family. 


Administrative Team

Libby DesRuisseaux, M.S.

N2N Administrative Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her

Libby is a young woman with brown hair standing in front of a city skyline. She is smiling at the camera.

Libby DesRuisseaux is a doctoral student at the University of Utah working under the mentorship of Dr. Yana Suchy. She graduated from Tufts University in 2018 and worked as a clinical research coordinator for 2 years in an Alzheimer’s Disease clinical trial unit at Massachusetts General Hospital during her gap years. Libby’s current research focuses on executive functioning and daily functioning in older adults, particularly on intra-individual variability as an indicator of subtle cognitive weakness. She is passionate about her service work, particularly in supporting students from underrepresented and minoritized backgrounds in their pursuit of a career in neuropsychology. Libby also serves as a Co-Chair of the AACN Relevance 2050 Student Pipeline Subcommittee.

In her free time, Libby loves to hike, ski, read, travel, and spend time with friends and family. 

Leah Talbert, M.S.

N2N Treasurer
Pronouns: she/her

Leah is a young woman with dark brown curly hair. She is smiling at the camera.

Leah’s research interests include the use of advanced forms of neuroimaging to enhance diagnosis and prognosis, monitor recovery, and evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic intervention in traumatic brain injury. She is particularly interested in working with African-American patients with traumatic brain injury in order to optimize medical outcomes for this underserved population by improving diagnostic measures and African-American representation in neuroimaging/neuropsychological research. She’s dedicated to diversifying the field of neuropsychology to substantially increase the percentage of patients we, and the generation of neuropsychologists who follow us, are able to competently serve.


Committee Chairs

Michelle Martinez

Outreach Program Committee Co-Chair
Pronouns: she/her

Michelle is a young woman with brown curly hair and blonde highlights. She is smiling at the camera.

Michelle Martinez is a rising third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Houston and belongs to the Neuropsychology concentration. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and minors in Anthropology and Bioethics. Her research interests include: cross-cultural neuropsychology, Alzheimer’s disease, and social determinants of health. More specifically, she is interested in taking an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on community engagement and research dissemination and developing culturally sensitive, valid assessments that accurately aid in the treatment outcomes of racially/ethnically diverse populations.

 
In her free time, Michelle likes to cook, read, and hang out with her family and her dog. She also enjoys watching The Office, traveling, and listening to music.

Courtney Ray, Ph.D., M.Div.

Outreach Program Committee Co-Chair
Pronouns: she/her

A native New Yorker and avid traveler (50 states, 6 continents) Courtney Ray was the first Black person to receive a PhD concentrated in Neuroscience & Neuropsychology from Loma Linda University. She completed her internship at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and her fellowship at Positive Outcomes Psychological Services. 

Before internship, she was a neuropsychological extern at City of Hope Medical Center—a nationally renowned cancer hospital in California. She also externed at UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and at the Help Group. 

Dr. Ray is certified in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and ADOS-2 evaluations. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Neuropsychological Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. She is a founding member and current President of the Society for Black Neuropsychology (SoBlackNeuro.org). 

Her NYC based private practice, Array Psychological Assessments (www.APAmind.com), provides neuropsychological, psychoeducational and forensic evaluations to clients across the lifespan. She’s an adjunct professor at City University of New York, and volunteers with Physicians for Human Rights.

Erin Kaseda, M.S.

Resource Development Committee Chair
Pronouns: she/her

Erin is a young woman with dark brown hair. She is holding a small white dog and smiling at the camera.

Erin Kaseda, MS is a rising 5th-year doctoral candidate at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Erin started college as a psychology major, but transferred into the neuroscience major after her first semester because she was so inspired by the BIG questions about humanity and health that could be answered by studying the brain. When she learned about neuropsychology during a class on careers in psychology, she realized she had the chance to combine her passion for neuroscience research with her original goal of becoming a clinical psychologist.

Erin loves that neuropsychology allows her to get to know and support patients as individuals, while also having the opportunity to serve patients and communities at a structural level through research and policy advocacy.

K.C. Hewitt, Psy.D.

Student Engagement Committee Chair
Pronouns: she/her

K.C. is a young woman standing on a mountain with pine trees in the background. She is smiling at the camera.

Dr. K.C. Hewitt is a neuropsychologist with Prisma Health at Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital in Greenville, SC. She earned her PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Mercer University, including a predoctoral internship through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln at QLI, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Hewitt is dedicated to early career development through supervision of students at all levels through her adjunct faculty positions at Emory University and Mercer University. In her free time, she likes traveling, photography, board games, and hanging out with her family and cats. 

Milena Gotra, Ph.D.

Program Evaluation Committee, Chair
Pronouns: she/her

Milena Gotra is currently a first-year postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. Her path to neuropsychology started with two years of community college, after which she transferred to complete her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She completed a terminal master’s degree in clinical counseling at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, followed by a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and internship at West Virginia University. Her clinical interests are in epilepsy and other neurosurgical populations, as well as working with interpreters and developing culturally appropriate test batteries. Her current research focuses on cognitive and behavioral outcomes in patients undergoing epilepsy surgery and her graduate work has focused on biological predictors of divergent cognitive profiles in psychosis spectrum disorders.

Oluwaseun Ogunleye, M.A.

Program Evaluation Committee, Technical Lead
Pronouns: she/her

Oluwaseun Oyindamola Ogunleye is a Master’s student in Educational Studies with a concentration in Educational Equity, Justice and Social Transformation at the University of Michigan. She is dedicated to investigating inclusion in education, particularly the inclusion of underrepresented groups, and conducting an intersectional study of education, organizational theory and other social cultural topics. She is committed to using her ability to engage with diverse communities, contribute to research initiatives, and implement inclusive practices in supporting the organization’s goals and objectives. When she is not working, she is either learning a new language or exploring diverse cuisines.

 


N2N Advisory Board

The N2N Advisory Board is comprised of members with representation across several organizations, including:

  1. American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology
  2. Asian Neuropsychological Association
  3. Hispanic Neuropsychological Society
  4. International Neuropsychological Society
  5. Know Neuropsychology
  6. Navigating Neuropsychology
  7. Queer Neuropsychological Society
  8. Society for Black Neuropsychology
  9. University of California, Los Angeles
  10. University of Michigan

Current N2N Advisors include:

  1. Alexander Tan, PhD
  2. Anthony Stringer, PhD, ABPP-CN
  3. Cady Block, PhD, ABPP-CN
  4. Carol Persad, PhD, ABPP-CN
  5. Jenny Peraza, PsyD, ABPP-CN
  6. Jesús O. Barreto Abrams, PhD
  7. John Bellone, PhD, ABPP-CN
  8. Kristen Votruba, PhD, ABPP-CN
  9. Matthew Calamia, PhD
  10. Octavio Santos, PhD
  11. Paola Suarez, PhD
  12. Ryan Van Patten, PhD, ABPP-CN

Past N2N Advisors include:

  1. Anny Reyes, PhD
  2. Nick Thaler, PhD, ABPP-CN


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Disclaimer

The information on this website is for general informational purposes only. New2Neuropsychology makes no representation or warranty, express or implied. New2Neuropsychology is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. Your use of the site is solely at your own risk. This site may contain links to third party content, which we do not warrant, endorse, or assume liability for.

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