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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

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Irene Piryatinsky, PhD, ABPP-CN

President


Dr. Irene Piryatinsky is a board-certified and licensed clinical neuropsychologist and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is the Director of the two-year, full-time APPIC-approved postdoctoral fellowship in Lifespan Neuropsychology and the one-year, full-time APA-approved William James College Internship Consortium at the Neuropsychological Assessment Clinic. Dr. Piryatinsky earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from an APA-approved program, completed an APA-accredited internship at the Bedford VA, and a two-year clinical neuropsychology fellowship at Brown University. She is a member and collaborator with the Center Movement Disorder Program and Tumor Board affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine.

Her primary research and clinical interests include cultural neuropsychology, group interventions for patients with ADHD and early neurodegenerative diseases, and research on hydrocephalus, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and pre-surgical neuropsychological assessments.


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David S. Stein, PsyD

President-Elect


Dr. David Stein is a developmental neuropsychologist with extensive experience in the assessment of children, adolescents, and adults. He is the Founder and Director of New England Neurodevelopment in Wellesley, MA, and President-Elect of the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society (MNS). Dr. Stein's clinical interests include specific learning disorders, ADHD, genetic conditions, autism spectrum disorder, and long-term outcomes of neurodevelopmental disorders.



Dr. Stein earned his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and his doctorate from William James College. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Harvard Medical School/The Cambridge Hospital and his post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric assessment at Boston Children's Hospital, followed by a two-year post-doctoral apprenticeship in clinical neuropsychology and advanced coursework in human neuroanatomy at Marquette University. Dr. Stein served on the faculty of Boston Children's Hospital until 2016, holding leadership roles in Quality Improvement, the LEND fellowship, and the Down Syndrome Program.  


Tyler Zink

Tyler Zink, PhD, ABBP-CN

Past President


Dr. Tyler Zink is a board certified clinical neuropsychologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Boston University. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Boston Consortium for Clinical Psychology, focusing in Neuropsychology at the Boston VA. His fellowship in Neuropsychology was through Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and BIDMC. Currently, he serves as the Practicum Training Coordinator for Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry at BIDMC. His clinical interests include aging and dementia, neurodevelopmental disorders, and the impact of mental illness on cognition.



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Nancy Roosa, PsyD

Secretary 


Nancy Roosa, Psy.D., has been working as a pediatric neuropsychologist since 1997. She was, most recently, a senior neuropsychologist at NESCA (Neuropsychology and Education Services for Children and Adolescents) in Newton, MA. She enjoys working with a range of children, particularly those with autism spectrum disorders, as well as children with attentional issues, executive function deficits, anxiety disorders, learning disabilities, or other social, emotional or behavioral problems. She also enjoys speaking to local schools and parent groups on a variety of topics related to students and mental health.


Dr. Roosa graduated from Brown University with a degree in Neural Science and then completed her graduate work at Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, now William James College. She completed internships at a youth guidance center, a college counseling center and community mental health centers. She completed post-doctoral work at Children’s Evaluation Center, Newton.


Dr. Roosa currently serves on the Board of Directors at Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society, where she is chair of the Education Committee. She also serves on the board of Asperger Autism Network, where she is involved in advocacy work at the state level as well as advising the organization on clinical issues related to autism.

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Kimberly Fitzgibbon, PhD

Treasurer


Kimberly Fitzgibbon, PhD is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Neuropsychological Services. She completed her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with specialization in neuropsychology from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL and completed her predoctoral internship within the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Dr. Fitzgibbon completed her two-year pediatric neuropsychology fellowship at Children’s Neuropsychological Services. She has formal training across the lifespan and in a variety of settings, including community mental health, private practice, hospitals, and sports medicine facilities. She currently works with children, adolescents, and young adults with a primary focus on adolescence and young adulthood. Dr. Fitzgibbon works with a wide range of neurodevelopmental, medical, and psychiatric diagnoses and referrals.

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE

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Cara Cordeaux, PhD

Member-At-Large


Cara Cordeaux is a neuropsychologist at the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Lafayette College and received a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in neuropsychology. She completed a clinical internship at the University of Minnesota Medical School/Masonic Children’s Hospital in pediatric neuropsychology and psychotherapy and a 2-year lifespan neuropsychology post-doctoral fellowship at the Psychology Assessment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital with a focus in medically involved pediatric and adult populations. Her clinical practice includes specialization in early childhood assessment, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and complex medical presentations such as epilepsy, genetic disorder, and acute CNS injury. Her research focuses on issues of service equity and access and outcomes for pediatric populations following diagnostic assessments.

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Susan Marakovitz, PhD

Member-At-Large


Susan Marakovitz, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with an expertise in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychological assessment. Currently, she provides evaluation, educational and consultation services at Neurodevelopmental and Educational Services (NES), a private neuropsychology practice in Brookline, MA. She is also an Associate Psychologist in the Center for Child Development/NICU Follow-up Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In this setting, she evaluates, provides clinical care and contributes to research with children ages 12-60 months old who were born prematurely and/or experienced perinatal complications.


Dr. Marakovitz has many years of experience conducting evaluations and assisting the families of children ranging in age from infancy through young adulthood. However, her specialty is working with young children who have developmental challenges and disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, learning disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, global developmental delay, and genetic disorders as well as complex special needs due to overlapping developmental, medical and/or psychiatric conditions.She has also been appointed to research positions at several Boston area universities and Harvard affiliated hospitals. Her research work focused on improving the lives of young children at-risk through early and more accurate detection of developmental delays, autism and behavioral/emotional problems and better understanding of the developmental trajectories of internalizing, externalizing and neurodevelopmental problems and disorders. She has also given presentations and contributed to peer- reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics as well as comprehensive assessment models.Dr. Marakovitz obtained a joint doctoral degree in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and Judge Baker Children’s Center (JBCC) and fellowship training in the DevelopmentalMedicine Center at BCH. Subsequently, she held clinical staff positions at BCH, JBCC and a multi-disciplinary pediatric private practice with a neuropsychology focus.

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Michael R. Capawana, PhD, ABPP

Member-At-Large


Michael Capawana received his B.A. in psychology with a minor in public health from Muhlenberg College. He earned an M.A. in mental health counseling at Boston College prior to receiving a Ph.D. in counseling psychology there. Dr. Capawana completed a predoctoral internship at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School in the outpatient department, where he provided therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and adults. He also engaged in psychological/personality evaluations of children and adolescents in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Dr. Capawana then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychological assessment at the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Subsequently, he joined the faculty at MGH and was appointed Director of Psychometric Training at LEAP. He provides clinical services to patients, supervises/teaches trainees, participates on committees, and conducts research. In addition to hospital-based work, he has enjoyed previously working as an individual, family, and group therapy provider across day treatment, community mental health, public school, and residential treatment settings.


Regarding other professional activities, Dr. Capawana is a member of various regional, national, and international organizations in the disciplines of psychology and neuropsychology. He functions as an ad hoc reviewer for scholarly journals and grant proposals. He attained advanced certifications in psychosis risk assessment, autism diagnostic evaluation, collaborative problem solving, and mindfulness. Research endeavors have pertained to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and executive functioning, physical/mental health comorbidities, mood disorders/suicidality, and polygenic risk. These projects have won awards from the American Psychological Association, Boston College, and MGH. He has presented widely and published in peer-reviewed journals such as Child Neuropsychology, Journal of Attention Disorders, Journal of Applied School Psychology, and Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.


Dr. Capawana is a Licensed Psychologist/Health Service Provider in Massachusetts and an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is Board Certified in clinical psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). In addition to serving on the Board of Directors at Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society, he holds leadership positions within divisions of the American Psychological Association. He works full-time at MGH and part-time in group private practice.

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Eva Jansiewicz, PhD

Member-At-Large


Dr. Jansiewicz is a pediatric neuropsychologist who completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University in 2008. She has trained at a number of hospital settings, including the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Children’s Seashore House (now Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (focusing on adult rehabilitation), St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and the Shepherd Center (focusing on brain and spinal cord injury). She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Marcus Autism Center focusing on Applied Behavior Analysis for language, learning, behavioral improvement, and feeding. Dr. Jansiewicz completed her post-doctoral training in private practice in the Boston area and has worked in private practice for the past ten plus years. She recently founded her own company, Collaborative Child Neuropsychology, in November 2022. Dr. Jansiewicz is experienced in working with children and young adults with a variety of developmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorders, language and learning disorders, ADHD, global developmental delay, and complex medical/neurological conditions. She also has expertise in working with children and young adults who have experienced developmental trauma and mental health challenges. Dr. Jansiewicz most enjoys partnering with families to help coordinate services for their children over the course of many years. 

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Melanie Robinson Findlay

Member-At-Large


Melanie Robinson Findlay is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at William James College, concentrating in Neuropsychology and Forensic Psychology. She has trained at several neuropsychology sites in Massachusetts and will be completing her pre-doctoral internship at Devereux Massachusetts. Melanie is a clinical social worker at heart and has dedicated her career to working with a diverse range of clinical populations in corrections, community mental health,academia, and the Juvenile Court Clinic. Melanie’s work has always been centered around fostering empowerment and promoting advocacy for populations that felt powerless within the systems thatprovided their care. Melanie believes that though no one can predict outcomes, change happens when providers foster ethnocultural empathy that promotes growth and understanding. Her current research and clinical interests include racial health disparities, cross-cultural neuropsychology, and establishing updated normative data for racially and ethnically minoritized groups. Melanie is a member of the MNS Diversity Committee and strives to contribute insight and data that will continue to move neuropsychology towards providing equitable care to racially and ethnically minoritized populations.

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Sean O'Brien, PsyD, ABPdN

Member-At-Large 


Dr. Sean O’Brien is a licensed psychologist and board certified pediatric neuropsychologist with a specialty in the assessment of children and adolescents with a range of neurodevelopmental disabilities, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder (reading, writing, math), Intellectual Disability, and Autism Spectrum Disorder; as well as children whose cognitive functioning has been impacted by medical, psychiatric, and genetic conditions.

 

Dr. O’Brien completed his doctorate at the University of Hartford, his internship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and his postdoctoral training in pediatric neuropsychology at both Harvard Medical School (McLean Hospital and Cambridge Health Alliance) and Lesley University. He is a former Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he evaluated and treated children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders, and has published in the area of developmental dyslexia. Before entering private practice, Sean worked at Lesley University in both a clinical and academic capacity. He then went on to become a founding partner at the Cambridge Center for Neuropsychology and Learning (CCNL), where he worked for 15 years before transitioning to his current position at NESCA.


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Julia Maietta, PhD

Member-At-Large


Dr. Julia Maietta earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a training specialty in Neuropsychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Maietta is a fellowship-trained neuropsychologist who specializes in adolescent, adult, and older adult populations. She completed the first year of her fellowship in neuropsychology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City and her second year of fellowship in Concussion, Rehabilitation, and Neuropsychology at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Maietta has received advanced clinical training in neuropsychological assessment for a variety of medical conditions. Dr. Maietta has taught courses in general psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, psychological assessment, and sensation/perception. She has also published peer-reviewed articles in refereed journals and has presented her research at regional, national, and international professional conferences.

In addition to her service as Member-at-large for MNS, Dr. Maietta has been involved in leadership positions within the American Psychological Association (APA), the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN), and the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN). She is also a founding member and serves on the Board of Directors for KnowNeuropsychology, which is a non-profit organization that aims to advance the availability of free, high quality training resources in neuropsychology.


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Monica Ly, PhD

Member-At-Large


Monica Ly is an adult neuropsychologist at Boston Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Music Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in neuropsychology. She completed her internship at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, and postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology in the Aging and Dementia Track at the University of California San Diego / San Diego VA Healthcare System. Her clinical and research interests lie at the intersection of traumatic brain injury and aging such as the later-life cognitive, behavioral, and neurobiological consequences of repetitive head impacts. She is an active researcher at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. Her clinical practice serves a culturally and linguistically diverse patient population at Boston Medical Center, New England’s largest safety net hospital. She is also passionate about training and mentoring the next generation of neuropsychologists. She currently serves as neuropsychology practicum training director at Boston Medical Center Neurology and as a mentor in the INS Global Mentorship Program. In addition, she serves as co-chair of the Membership Committee for the Asian Neuropsychological Association. 

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Gina Forchelli, PhD, NCSP

Member-At-Large


Dr. Gina Forchelli is a pediatric neuropsychologist and licensed psychologist specializing in neuropsychological, psychological, and education assessment and consultation with children, adolescents, and young adults with complex neurodevelopmental, psychological, and behavioral concerns. She is the Co-director of Postdoctoral Training at Mass General Brigham’s Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP) and an Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She has worked as the primary neuropsychologist for children, adolescents, and young adults within the Mass General Brigham Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center since 2020 and is part of the National Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Committee Neuropsychological Task Force.


Dr. Forchelli received a dual B.A.in psychology and music at Muhlenberg College. She completed her M.Ed. in School Psychology at Teachers College-Columbia University. Before returning to complete her Ph.D., she worked as a school psychology intern within the White Plains School District in NY. Her doctoral training was completed at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her postdoctoral training in pediatric neuropsychological assessment at the LEAP at MGH. She has trained across multiple pediatric settings, including an outpatient trauma-based clinic, residential therapeutic school, public school, and post-secondary/college settings. She has been a staunch advocate for children, adolescents, and families in accessing appropriate services and interventions across systems. Her research and clinical interests focus on executive functioning and processing speed differences in children and adolescents with complex neurocognitive, medical, psychiatric, and academic profiles access the support required for them to reach their fullest potential. 

STUDENT MEMBERS

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Cate Kowal

Student Member



Cate Kowal is a third-year doctoral student at Antioch University New England. She plans to continue to pursue a career in Pediatric Neuropsychology. Cate is currently training at Concord Hospital’s Family Health Center and is working with individuals from across the lifespan. 


With a background in behavioral neuroscience and a longstanding commitment to public service, Cate has focused much of her clinical and academic work on bridging the gap between brain-based assessment and culturally competent care. She has worked primarily with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Her approach to assessment is informed by a biopsychosocial framework that considers the whole person in the context of their environment, history, and cultural identity.


Cate’s research interests include executive functioning, social-emotional differences, neuropsychological outcomes in historically marginalized populations, and the development of culturally responsive assessment tools. Cate hopes to promote inclusivity in Neuropsychological Science and Practice and be a voice for other students with interests in Neuropsychology. 

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Brittney Kleinfelter

Student Member


Brittney Kleinfelter is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England with a planned focus on pediatric neuropsychology. She has completed training at several neuropsychology sites across Greater Boston and will be training at The Faja Laboratory in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital for her final year of practica. Brittney is committed to advancing equitable care and expanding access to neuropsychological services in underserved communities. Her research interests include cross-cultural neuropsychology, particularly the development and use of accurate and inclusive normative data, as well as examining the impact of high-conflict divorce on children’s executive functioning. She strives to enhance the accuracy, relevance, and availability of neuropsychological assessment for diverse populations through a lens of justice and accessibility.