Faculty

Recognition
Editor-in-Chief, Annals of the Child Neurology Society
Former Editor-in-Chief, Pediatric Neurology
Best Doctors in America
Castle Connolly Top Doctors
Child Neurology Society Past President
Child Neurology Society Hower Award 2015

Clinical Focus: Functional Neurosurgery

Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, MD, PhD, specializes in functional neurosurgery and minimally invasive skull base surgery and pioneered the use of expanded endonasal surgery of the skull base in extremely young children, providing them with a minimally invasive alternative for the treatment of a variety of conditions.

Tyler-Kabara earned her medical degree and doctorate from Vanderbilt University, where her graduate research investigated the neurophysiology of the corticostriatal synapse. She earned her bachelor’s from Duke University, double majoring in biomedical and electrical engineering. After leaving Duke, she worked at the National Institutes of Health as a biomedical engineer, where she developed and tested molecular biology software, developed a strategic plan for implementing computer networking, and recruited a head for the newly formed Computational Biology Group. She completed an internship in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a residency in neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Pittsburgh VA Medical Center, and a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Alabama.

Tyler-Kabara’s ongoing research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, DARPA, the Craig Nielsen and Margot Anderson Foundations, The Copeland Fund, and Pedal with Pete. She served as principal investigator on five grants and as co-investigator on 13 grants. She also was the co-principal investigator on the grant that initiated the brain-computer interface human trials at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on restoring function using brain computer interfaces with microelectrode recording and stimulation techniques to control neural prosthetics. These studies are conducted with the Rehab Neural Engineering Laboratory to combine expertise in engineering, neuroscience, and rehabilitation medicine.

Tyler-Kabara’s work has been featured on CBS-TV’s 60 Minutes. She has authored over 90 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 16 book chapters, and 80 published abstracts and has given 25 local lectures, 20 regional lectures, 10 national invited lectures, and eight international invited lectures.

Clinical Focus: Advanced Rehabilitation of Paralytic Diseases in Children

Glendaliz Bosques, MD, specializes in treating children with congenital or acquired physical disabilities. She earned her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she graduated magna cum laude, and her bachelor’s in natural sciences from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, where she graduated summa cum laude. She completed an internship in transitional medicine at San Juan City Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Alliance of Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and a fellowship in Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital/the University of Cincinnati.

Bosques is passionate about understanding the concerns of her patient not only as perceived in the medical visit, but also as their functional difficulties pertain to home and school as well as in their social context. Her clinical interests involve advanced rehabilitation of paralytic diseases in children, including traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies, and her academic interests include the integration of disability management into medical education. She serves on the Medical Educator Council and as the Inaugural Chair for LatinX in Physiatry, a community for members of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a Latin background. She is also an active member of the Association of Academic Physiatrists.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Headache

Sara Pavitt, MD, is a board-certified pediatric neurologist and pediatric headache specialist. She serves as Chief of the Dell Children’s Pediatric Headache Center and Associate Chief of Pediatric Neurology. She received her medical degree at the Chicago Medical School in North Chicago, Illinois, and completed her Bachelor of Arts and Science in integrated physiology, Bachelor of Arts and Science in psychology, and certificate of neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. She completed her pediatric residency at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, her child neurology residency — as chief resident — at Stanford Health Care, and her pediatric headache fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

Pavitt is a boarded diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in child neurology. She is a member of the American Headache Society as well as the American Academy of Neurology. She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including the Arnold P. Gold Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award and the Christine Wijman Humanism in Medicine Award. Her other accolades includes recipient of the American Academy of Neurology’s Enhanced Resident Leadership Program, Consulting Fellow Teacher of the Year, Honors Certificate in Medical Education, and Top QI Project in the Stanford Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Symposium, as well as the Association of Pediatric Program Directors National Meeting.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Cynthia Austin, PhD, is chief of pediatric neuropsychology and a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist in both the Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion Clinic and the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic. In the Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion Clinic, she specializes in providing care to children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury through targeted neuropsychological screenings, education, brief intervention, and individualized treatment planning. In the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic, she evaluates patients with a variety of medical conditions that can affect brain/central nervous system development and functioning. These conditions include long-term recovery and follow-up for moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, prematurity, and stroke, as well as neurometabolic, genetic, and autoimmune disorders.

Austin is an assistant professor in Dell Medical School’s Department of Neurology. She earned both her doctorate in school psychology and her master’s in program evaluation from The University of Texas at Austin. She completed an internship in pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology from Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Austin’s research interests include parent experience and satisfaction with the neuropsychological assessment process. She studies predictors and outcomes of traumatic brain injury, including prolonged recovery from mild traumatic brain injury and family interventions/adjustment following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. She is also part of a multisite study incorporating and delivering Teen Online Problems Solving intervention for adolescents and their families following traumatic and acquired brain injuries.

Clinical Focus: Epilepsy

Dave F. Clarke, MD, received his medical degree at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. He completed his first two years of pediatric training at Overlook Hospital, an affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his pediatric neurology training at the University of Michigan Medical Center and neurophysiology training (epilepsy and sleep) at the Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto in Canada.

Clarke is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in child neurology, sleep medicine, and epilepsy. He is an active member of the American Epilepsy Society, the Child Neurology Society, the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and the International League Against Epilepsy.

Clarke’s clinical and research interests focus on the medical and surgical management of drug-resistant epilepsy. His recent collaborative projects have focused on reducing deficits and disparities in epilepsy care. He is widely published and was recently elected to the board of the Executive Committee of the Epilepsy Leadership Council, a collaborative group representing several major organizations that support epilepsy.

Recognition
Executive Committee, Epilepsy Leadership Council (elected 2020)
North American Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy
Castle Connolly Top Doctor
Patients’ Choice Award
Newcomers Award, NAACP

Clinical Focus: Epilepsy and Genetics

Kristina K. Jülich, MD, earned her medical degree and completed a residency in pediatrics at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany. She completed a residency in child neurology and a fellowship in neurogenetics, both at Boston Children’s Hospital, and completed a second residency in pediatrics at Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Jülich is an epilepsy specialist. Her clinical and research interests also include genetic disorders affecting the nervous system.

Clinical Focus: Neuroimmunology

Before joining the Dell Medical School faculty in 2019, Manikum “Mani” Moodley, MD, was a senior neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic and a professor at the Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Moodley received his medical degree from the Nelson Mandela School of Medical Sciences in Durban South Africa, then completed residency training in the United Kingdom followed by a fellowship in neonatal neurology in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dr. Moodley’s clinical interests include immunological disorders of the nervous system, the diagnosis and treatment of neurofibromatosis, and autonomic neurological disorders.  He is an active member of the Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers, and has published widely on these and other topics.

Recognition
Distinguished Alumnus, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medical Sciences, Durban, South Africa
Excellence in Resident Teaching Award, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Neurological Institute Teacher of the Year Award, Department of Neurology, Cleveland Clinic
Pediatrics Institute Teacher of the Year Award, Department of Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic
Best Doctors in America, U.S. News & World Report
Castle Connolly Top Doctor
Member, Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom

Clinical Focus: Epilepsy

Kristen Arredondo, MD, is a board-certified pediatric neurologist in the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center. She has special interests in medically refractory epilepsy, neurostimulation, and tuberous sclerosis management.

Arredondo earned her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and trained in pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston as part of the Baylor College of Medicine program. She then completed a pediatric neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Children’s Health/UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She was medical faculty at Ohio State University College of Medicine and a surgical epileptologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus prior to joining UT Health Austin.

Arredondo’s research interests include thalamic EEG and practice trends in epilepsy presurgical evaluation and surgical management in the United States. She serves on a committee developing educational podcasts for the Child Neurology Society. She is also an active member of the American Epilepsy Society, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, and the American Academy of Neurology.

Clinical Focus: Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

In addition to appointments in the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Audrey C. Brumback, MD, PhD, is a member of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Center for Learning and Memory and the Institute for Neuroscience at UT Austin.

Brumback received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin, then completed her MD and PhD degrees at the University of Colorado. During this time, she helped establish the scientific basis for a novel treatment for neonatal seizures. Brumback completed her pediatric neurology residency through the Neuroscience Pathway at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Her research is supported by a K08 career development award and ROI awards from the NIH and the Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award from the Child Neurology Society.

Brumback’s clinical interests include autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Her current research goal is to develop brain-circuit-based therapies for the developmental neuropsychiatric disorders she treats in her clinical practice.

Recognition
Board of Directors, Child Neurology Society
Editorial Board, Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, Pediatric Neurology, Progress in Neurobiology, and Seminars in Pediatric Neurology
Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award, Child Neurology Society
Stroup Family Award in Pediatric Epilepsy Research (Johns Hopkins University)
Executive Committee, Child Neurology Society (2020-2022)

Clinical Focus: Epilepsy

Clifford “Cliff” Calley, MD, received his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Dallas and his medical degree from The University of Texas at San Antonio. He completed his pediatric and child neurology residencies at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and his epilepsy fellowship also at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Calley has done research on Gulf War syndrome, and his clinical interests include the use of magnetoencephalography in the assessment of epilepsy in children.

Recognition
Education Chief, Child Neurology Residency, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Pellock Fellowship Award, Child Neurology Society/Child Neurology Foundation/American Epilepsy Society

Clinical Focus: General Child Neurology

Sireesha Chinthaparthi, MD, received her undergraduate degree from Mississippi College and her medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She completed her pediatric and child neurology residencies at the University of Mississippi. Chinthaparthi has presented research at numerous conferences and serves as a peer reviewer for Pediatric Neurology. She joined the team at Dell Medical School in 2019. Her clinical interests include movement disorders and attention deficit disorders.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Movement Disorders

Stephen R. Deputy, MD, is a board-certified pediatric neurologist and Program Director of the Child Neurology Residency. Deputy earned his medical degree from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and his bachelor’s in biochemistry and cell biology from the University of California, San Diego. He completed a residency in pediatric neurology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Deputy formerly served as the Clerkship Director for Neurology at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where he practiced for 24 years. His clinical and research interests include most disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system, though he has a special interest in pediatric movement disorders. He enjoys teaching medical students, neurology residents, pediatrics residents, and child neurology residents about basic neurosciences, neuroanatomy, and clinical pediatric neurology.

Recognition
Dr. Allen Copping Award for Excellence in Teaching, Louisiana State University School of Medicine
Nicholas Gagliano Pediatrics Outstanding Faculty Award, Louisiana State University School of Medicine
Top Physician, Consumers’ Research Council of America

Clinical Focus: Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Leah Ferrante, MD, received her medical degree from West Virginia University School of Medicine. She then completed a pediatrics residency and a neurodevelopmental disabilities residency at Baylor College of Medicine and a fetal and neonatal neurology fellowship at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is certified in neurology with special qualification in child neurology and is board eligible for certification in neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is a member of the Texas Neurological Society, Newborn Brain Society, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Neurology.

Recognition
Mountaineer Medical Scholarship, West Virginia University School of Medicine

Clinical Focus: Epilepsy

Daniel A. Freedman, DO, received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his pediatric and child neurology residencies at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio, where he also completed a fellowship in pediatric epilepsy management. Freedman joined Dell Children’s in 2020. His clinical interests include epilepsy in children and psychogenic non-epileptic events (PNEE).

Recognition
Education Chief, Child Neurology Residency, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Academic Achievement Award, Child Neurology Residency, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Dell Medical School Child Neurology Faculty Resident Teaching Award

Clinical Focus: Neuroimmunology

Duriel Hardy, MD, is a pediatric neuroimmunologist and an adult neurologist in UT Health Austin’s Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center within the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences. He serves as Medical Clerkship Director of the child neurology medical students. Hardy is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine and Brown University (Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience). In addition to residencies in pediatrics and child neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he completed a fellowship in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology disorders at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His research and clinical interests are in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology as well as ensuring a coordinated continuum of care as pediatric patients with neuroimmunological disease age into adulthood.

Recognition
Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS)
Jessica Panzer Good Catch Award Recipient, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Minority Research Scholars Program, Child Neurology Society
Minority Scholars Award, American Academy of Neurology
Zeritsky Clinical Research Award, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Clinical Focus: Headache

Samantha “Sam” Irwin, MB BCh, MSc, is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in caring for children with headache disorders and migraine. In addition, she treats pediatric patients with concussions and post-traumatic headaches. Additionally, she serves as the director of the Pediatric Headache Fellowship program at Dell Medical School.

Irwin earned her master’s in neuropsychology at Maastricht University and her medical degree at the School of Medicine Trinity College Dublin. She completed a residency in pediatric neurology at the University of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, where she was chief resident, followed by a fellowship in headache neurology at the University of California San Francisco.

Irwin’s research focuses on clinical trials evaluating potential new treatments for headache disorders in children and adolescents. In addition, she is investigating the role of structured exercise as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to treating pediatric headache. Irwin is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, Child Neurology Society, American Headache Society, Canadian Headache Society, International Headache Academy, and International Child Neurology Association.

Recognition
Pediatric Neurology Chief Resident, University of Toronto
Residency Research Day Award, University of Toronto

Clinical Focus: General Child Neurology

Louisa G. Keith, MD, received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. She completed her pediatric residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and her child neurology residency at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Keith is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and Child Neurology Society and serves on multiple committees dedicated to medical education. Her clinical interest is general child neurology, and she oversees the cardiac surgery neurological follow-up program.

Clinical Focus: Epilepsy

Chelsey Ortman, MD, earned her medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, GA. After her pediatrics and child neurology training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, she completed fellowships in pediatric epilepsy and advanced clinical neurophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. She is board certified in neurology with special qualification in child neurology and is a member of the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, American Epilepsy Society, Child Neurology Society, and American Academy of Neurology.

Clinical Focus: General Child Neurology

Vandana Vedanarayanan, MD, received her Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in history and chemistry, summa cum laude, at Millsaps College and her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and her anesthesiology residency at the University of Buffalo, SUNY.

She has published articles and abstracts and has given many presentations. She has certifications in pediatric advance life support as well as basic life support. Her honor society inductions include Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Tau Delta, and Alpha Epsilon Delta (pre-health honorary).

Recognition
Dell Medical School Child Neurology Faculty Medical Student Teaching Award

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuromuscular Disease

Vettaikorumakankav “Veda” V. Vedanarayanan, MD, was previously professor of pediatrics and neurology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he also served as Director of the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine and oversaw the Electromyography and Autonomic Laboratory. Veda received his medical education at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in India. After finishing his child neurology residency at Duke University, Veda went on to complete a neuromuscular disease fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. His clinical focus includes muscle and nerve disorders as well as dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuro-opthalmology

Jane C. Edmond, MD, is the director of the Mitchel and Shannon Wong Eye Institute and a professor and founding chair in the Department of Ophthalmology at Dell Medical School. She is interim vice dean of professional practice for Dell Medical School and serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Her practice focus is on pediatric and adult strabismus, medical and surgical management (50 percent of her surgery cases were adult strabismus), and pediatric neuro-ophthalmology (one of about 30 in the country).

She earned her undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin with honors (1981), Phi Beta Kappa. Med school was next at Baylor College of Medicine (1985), Alpha Omega Alpha.

Edmond was a member of the faculty from 1991-97 at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. From 1997 to 2003, she was a faculty member at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Scheie Eye Institute, and Wills Eye Hospital, all in Philadelphia. From 2003-2017, she resumed her faculty appointment at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

Recognition
President, American Academy of Ophthalmology (2023-2025)
Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology
Honor Award, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Outstanding Female Leader in Ophthalmology Award, MillenialEYE
Senior Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology
Senior Honor Award, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Marshall M. Parks Medal, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

Clinical Focus: Management of Neuropathic Pain

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine in 2016, Faheem Mahomed, MD, completed his physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. During his residency, he received the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s resident medical school teaching award. Mahomed completed a two-year pediatric rehabilitation fellowship at the University of California Davis Health Center and Shriners Hospitals for Children and is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. His academic interests include management of neuropathic pain in children and facilitation of adaptive sports participation.

Recognition
Resident Teaching Award, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Student Community Service Award, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pediatric Spine and Epilepsy

M. Omar Iqbal, MD, is a board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon with a special interest in pediatric spine and epilepsy. Iqbal received his Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology from the University of California in Los Angeles and earned his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine. He completed neurosurgery residency training at Rutgers University and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, England, and fellowships in both pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and spine deformity at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia.

Iqbal’s research interest is in the growing pediatric spine and developing growth-modulating technologies and approaches that allow surgeons to avoid fusion in a pre-pubescent spine. He has published multiple articles and teaches residents through his faculty position at Dell Med.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuromuscular Disease

Ashley Stanley-Copeland, MD, is a board-certified pediatric neurologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of neuromuscular disorders in children. She earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, completed a residency in pediatrics and child neurology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and completed a fellowship in pediatric neuromuscular medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Stanley-Copeland is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Recognition
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Pediatrics Chairman’s Scholar Program

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Rosalia Costello, PsyD, is a pediatric neuropsychologist in the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center. She completes comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for children with drug-resistant epilepsy who may be candidates for neurosurgery. She also conducts assessments for youth with other medical conditions, including spina bifida, autoimmune encephalopathy, and genetic conditions.

Costello received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago, where she minored in Spanish language, Italian language, and communications. She earned both her Master of Arts and Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology from Adler University. She completed a predoctoral internship in pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital.

Costello’s research focuses on health disparities and bilingual brain development in pediatric medical populations. She has presented locally, nationally, and internationally and is active in several neuropsychology organizations with the aim of fostering equity and inclusion for patients, students, and providers.

Recognition
Member at Large, Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS) Board of Directors

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Rosario DeLeon, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with a specialization in neuropsychology and an extensive background in the neuropsychological evaluation of children with neurocognitive disorders from toddlerhood through late adolescence.

DeLeon completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Houston, a clinical psychology internship through the Children’s Assessment Center in Houston, and a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Department of Pediatrics, Center for Clinical Neurosciences.

DeLeon evaluates children through the Children’s Blood and Cancer Center of Dell Children’s Medical Center, the Texas Child Study Center, and the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Through these clinics, DeLeon has the unique opportunity to complete bilingual neuropsychological evaluations in Spanish and English.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Emily Greenspahn, PhD, is a licensed neuropsychologist. Her specialty is assessing and treating children who have medical issues that affect neurocognitive functioning including brain tumors and other types of cancer, central nervous system infections, traumatic brain injuries, neurofibromatosis, blood disorders, and stroke.

Greenspahn received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tulane University. She then earned both her master’s and doctorate in educational psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. Greenspahn completed an internship at Virginia Beach City Public Schools and a fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Greenspahn served as the Director of Neuropsychological Services at the Texas Child Study Center for nine years. She developed the Embedded Behavioral Clinic in the Children’s Blood & Cancer Center at Dell Children’s and continues to lead the neuropsychological services in that clinic. Her current research interests include examining neurocognitive outcomes for children with brain tumors and blood disorders, and who have undergone cancer treatment. She is a past treasurer and current member of the Austin Neuropsychological Society and a current member of the International Neuropsychological Society. She trains doctoral students, interns, and fellows in clinical neuropsychology and has served as a dissertation supervisor.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Jessica A. Pliego, PhD, is a pediatric neuropsychologist who specializes in neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental care for children following perinatal complications and congenital heart disease. She earned her doctorate in school psychology with an emphasis on neuropsychology as well as a master’s in educational psychology and a bachelor’s in psychology from Texas A&M University. She completed an internship in school psychology with an emphasis on pediatric neuropsychology at Virginia Beach City Public Schools and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Pliego’s research interests include examining cognitive outcomes in children with congenital heart disease or a history of strokes. Her clinical goal is to identify neurodevelopmental challenges early so that appropriate interventions can be implemented to improve long-term outcomes.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Eman K. Rettig, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist who conducts inpatient and outpatient neuropsychological evaluations. Her clinical interests include medical and neurological conditions that affect brain development and functioning. She sees patients diagnosed with anoxia/hypoxia, brain tumors and cancers, encephalitis, meningitis, ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, and traumatic brain injuries, among others. Rettig also assesses for co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and learning disabilities.

Rettig earned her Master of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Psychology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She completed her predoctoral internship in pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School and Dell Children’s Medical Center. She went on to complete her postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Rettig is committed to the scientist-practitioner model with the goal of providing evidence-based care. Her research interests include acquired and traumatic brain injuries, epilepsy, health literacy, and the efficacy of neuropsychological evaluations and feedback. Rettig is also a clinical educator who mentors neuropsychology trainees.

Recognition
Dean’s Award Recipient, Wright State University
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Wright State University
Committee Member, KnowNeuropsychology

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

William “Andy” Schraegle, PhD, is a licensed pediatric neuropsychologist in the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center. He specializes in providing pre- and postsurgical assessments and general evaluations for children with chronic epilepsy who experience cognitive concerns.

Dr. Schraegle earned his doctorate degree in counseling psychology with a subspecialization in neuropsychology at The University of Texas at Austin. He completed an internship in clinical psychology with a specialty focus in pediatric neuropsychology at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Dell Children’s Medical Center/Dell Medical School.

Schraegle is committed to the scientist-practitioner model with the goal of improving clinical care delivery through scientific inquiry. Much of his research to date has explored neurocognitive and behavioral functioning in pediatric epilepsy, with particular emphasis on the association of cognitive profiles with epileptic foci and functional and health-related quality (HRQOL) of life outcomes. His current research focuses on exploring syndrome specific cognitive and behavioral phenotypes in pediatric epilepsy with the ultimate goal of improving early identification and providing targeted intervention for patients and their families. He is also a clinical educator who mentors research in students across a variety of disciplines.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion

Kylene Willsey, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician who works primarily with the Dell Children’s Traumatic Brain Injury/Concussion Clinic.

Willsey received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completed her pediatrics residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Prior to Austin, she practiced as a general pediatrician in Ann Arbor. She has been involved in her community through various sports-related initiatives, including coaching, providing sports coverage for high school football games, and performing baseline concussion testing for high school football players. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

Recognition
Outstanding Abstract Award, University of Michigan
Pediatric Student Education Award, University of Michigan
Gold Humanism Honor Society, Baylor College of Medicine
Phi Sigma Biology Honor Society
Alpha Epsilon Delta Biology Honor Society

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology

Amanda Winter-Greenberg, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with a specialization in pediatric neuropsychology. She has experience in performing neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents with a broad variety of medical disorders that affect neurological functioning and development, including prematurity/low birth weight, genetic disorders, epilepsy, stroke, brain injury, hematological disorders, leukemia, brain tumors, demyelinating diseases, encephalitis, congenital heart defects, chronic renal failure, craniofacial abnormalities, histiocytosis, metabolic storage disorders, and perinatally acquired HIV. She also has experience assessing for developmental difficulties including autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, intellectual disability, ADHD, and learning disorders.

Winter-Greenberg is the neuropsychologist at the Dell Children’s Medical Center’s Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic. She also conducts outpatient neuropsychological evaluations at the Texas Child Study Center. Winter-Greenberg is in the process of becoming board certified in clinical neuropsychology (ABPP-CN). She is also involved in the training of predoctoral interns and is the Texas Child Study Center’s neuropsychology track supervisor for their APPIC member internship. Research interests include neurocognitive functioning in children born extremely prematurely and in children with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Clinical Focus: Pediatric Neuropsychology in Epilepsy

Jeffrey B. Titus, PhD, is a pediatric neuropsychologist who specializes in pediatric epilepsy. Prior to coming to Austin in 2011, Titus was an assistant professor of clinical neurology at Washington University School of Medicine and program lead of neuropsychology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Throughout his career, Titus has been devoted to a scientist-practitioner model that focuses on the integration of scientific study with clinical care delivery. Much of his research has investigated emotional and behavioral concerns in pediatric epilepsy, with particular emphasis on cognitive and disease-specific features that may reflect brain-based predispositions for psychopathology. With health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as an end-point variable, Titus has also sought to quantify the relative contribution of cognitive, emotional, socioeconomic and family coping factors on health outcomes in epilepsy above and beyond seizure variables. He is working to combine this information with medical factors to develop metrics for early identification of risk so that prevention and intervention efforts can be implemented. He is also developing methods to integrate real-time measurement of risk factors into interdisciplinary clinics to monitor the social and economic impact of pediatric epilepsy and promote health and wellness initiatives at the primary, secondary and tertiary care levels.

Titus is a fellow of the American Epilepsy Society, and his recent research has been published in Epilepsy and Behavior, the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, the Journal of Pediatric Epilepsy, the Journal of Attention Disorders, and the Journal of Child Neurology. He serves as a clinical supervisor for doctoral-level neuropsychology students at The University of Texas at Austin, and he is active in the strategic planning and organization of clinical neuroscience programs at Dell Children’s Medical Center.