Neuropsychologists in New York

Biography: Dr. Krellman is an Associate Professor of Neuropsychology and a provider on the Neuropsychology Service. He is board certified in both clinical neuropsychology (ABPP-CN) and rehabilitation psychology (ABPP-RP) by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is one of only approximately 20 clinicians in the US and Canada certified in both specialties, which attests to his specialization in both the assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms due to neurological injury or disease. He has extensive experience in the neuropsychological evaluation of individuals with mild cognitive impairment or dementia due to neurodegenerative diseases, brain tumors, and traumatic brain injury as well as expertise in concussion evaluation and symptom management. Dr. Krellman earned his doctorate in clinical neuropsychology from the City University of New York, where his dissertation work focused on neuroanatomical and behavioral phenotyping of inbred mouse strains to develop animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders. He completed his predoctoralinternship training in clinical neuropsychology and geriatric psychology at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center (now Northwell Health System), and he completed his postdoctoral fellowship training in clinical neuropsychology and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In addition to his clinical duties on the Service, Dr. Krellman is a co-investigator or consultant on research studies examining neuropsychological outcomes in both neurological and non-neurological patient populations. His previous research focused on developing rehabilitation treatments and assessing cognitive and psychiatric outcomes in survivors of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. He is the President of the New York Neuropsychology Group (NYNG) and Co-Chair of its Training and Mentorship Committee. Relatedly, he co-directs training programs for predoctoral externs and postdoctoral fellows on the Service with his colleagues.

Biography: Elise A. Caccappolo is the Director of the Neuropsychology Service and holds the title of Professor of Neuropsychology. Dr. Caccappolo is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology, with specialty certification in Clinical Neuropsychology. Her clinical activities include the evaluation and diagnosis of cognitive and emotional functioning across the lifespan. She specializes in the evaluation of adults and geriatrics with memory disorders, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, movement disorders, concussion, and psychiatric and medical illness, among other disorders. She also evaluates children and adolescents with developmental delays, learning disabilities, and attentional disorders. Dr. Caccappolo completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Environmental and Occupational Health from UMDNJ, where she was involved in the study of the cognitive and psychological effects of Gulf War Syndrome as well as the effects of exposure to various toxins. She also completed a research fellowship in aging and dementia within the Cognitive Neuroscience division of Columbia University Medical Center during which time she studied the acquisition of language disorders. She was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Neurology of Columbia University in 2003. Dr. Caccappolo is an active clinical researcher who has authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on the neuropsychological profiles associated with a variety of neurological disorders including early onset Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Her current research interests include neuropsychological dysfunction following carotid endarterectomy and the cognitive profiles associated with donor iron deficiency. She is a member of APA Division 40 and the International Neuropsychological Society (INS), and serves as President of the New York Neuropsychology Group (NYNG).

Biography: Dr. Stephanie Assuras is an associate professor of neuropsychology in the Clinical Neuropsychology Service within the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience. After completing her doctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, she completed an internship at the University of Chicago Medical Center and advanced training in a clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she received training in the assessment of both adults and children. She is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology with specialty in Clinical Neuropsychology. Her primary clinical and research activities have focused on differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, and primary progressive aphasia, as well as prognostication of shunt response in normal pressure hydrocephalus via cognitive assessment and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. In addition to her focus on aging and dementia, she has expertise in concussion assessment of both adults and adolescents, and cognitive behavioral interventions for persisting post-concussion syndrome.

Biography: Dr. Cole earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Rutgers University, followed by a graduate degree in Psychology and Law at Cambridge University and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Columbia University. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine and his post-doctoral fellowship specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology at the Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology, with specialty certification in Clinical Neuropsychology. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), APA Division 40, International Neuropsychological Society (INS), and American Epilepsy Society (AES) among other professional organizations. Dr. Cole is primarily involved in the assessment of cognitive and emotional functioning in individuals with Epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, Memory Disorders, and other disorders of the central nervous system. Dr. Cole's research interests include language, memory, and emotional functioning in Epilepsy.

Biography: Dr. Beth Rabinovitzobtained her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology: Neuropsychology from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. She completed her clinical internship and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System within the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry. Dr. Rabinovitz, a Clinical Instructor of Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry, is currently a clinical neuropsychologist at NYP/Weill-Cornell Medical College. Additionally, she is a member of several national and local neuropsychology organizations. Dr. Rabinovitz's clinical work and research interests include clinical neuropsychology, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, emotion regulation, movement disorders, epilepsy, and other conditions affecting cerebral functioning.

Biography: Amanda L. Sacks-Zimmerman, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who has had extensive experience in assessing and treating neurological disorders with cognitive remediation as well as researching the cognitive impact of brain injury. She treats a variety of patients who suffer from cognitive and emotional difficulties that may be the result of epilepsy; radiation or chemotherapy; cardiopulmonary bypass procedures; surgery; cerebrovascular disease; stroke; silent infarcts; brain tumor resection; movement disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease; metabolic disorders; infectious processes such as encephalitis or Lyme disease; chemical toxin exposure; traumatic brain injury; and dementia diagnoses including mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, and frontal temporal dementia.****************************************************************Dr. Sacks-Zimmerman sees patients at 520 East 70th St. @ York Ave. (Starr 651) For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit https://neurosurgery.weillcornell.org or call 212-746-3356****************************************************************TRAININGDr. Sacks-Zimmerman received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from The George Washington University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Fairleigh Dickinson University. She completed two postdoctoral fellowships, one at University Behavioral Healthcare, UMDNJ, in Piscataway, New Jersey, focusing on geropsychology and one at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, where she was trained in assessing, treating, and researching acquired and traumatic brain injury. Additionally, she has been a staff psychologist at NYU Langone Medical Center Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine for three years and a neuropsychologist in the Faculty Group Practice in the Department of Psychiatry at the NYU Langone Medical Center and is faculty appointed to the Department of Anesthesiology at the NYU Langone Medical Center.RESEARCHDr. Sacks-Zimmerman has been involved in various research projects throughout her training and professional career. Specifically, during her first postdoctoral fellowship at the University Behavioral Healthcare, UMDNJ, she derived research projects examining cognitive correlates of emotion in dementia as well as published book chapters regarding PTSD and family interventions in older adults. During her second postdoctoral fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center, she assisted in deriving manualized Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for individuals post-TBI for the purpose of researching the efficacy of this treatment, participated in systematic reviews of literature on evidenced based practices of treatment post TBI, developed research projects, published findings, and presented at conferences on TBI and aging. During her time as a faculty appointed member to the Department of Anesthesiology at NYULMC, Dr. Sacks-Zimmerman analyzed and presented data on post-operative cognitive dysfunction as well as derived research studies on cognitive issues post-operatively in cardiac patients and cognitive issues related to compliance in the wound care population. She is currently in the process of developing research projects to examine the efficacy of cognitive remediation programs on post-operative cognitive difficulties in brain tumor patients within the Department of Neurological Surgery Weill Cornell Medical College.5-STAR REVIEW from Vitals.com"Really focused and always has new ideas for situation or problem solving. Also she is beautiful and a warm giving person. I recommend completely!"

Biography: Dr. Heidi Bender is an award-winning, board-certified neuropsychologist specializing in the evaluation and treatment of patients of all ages with a wide range of neurological and cognitive disorders. She has expertise in evaluating patients to determine if they are candidates for epilepsy surgery, in special procedures such as the intraoperative testing of patients during awake craniotomies, and in cognitive remediation therapies appropriate for patients with a wide variety of cognitive challenges (i.e., after neurological surgery, cerebrovascular accidents, and other events). Dr. Bender has a special interest in the neuropsychological needs of non-native English speakers and patients born outside of the United States, and is active in professional groups working to reduce disparities in healthcare. To facilitate this, Dr. Bender holds a leadership roles in multiple neuropsychological organizations committed to equity for all, including the New York Neuropsychology Group's Bilingual Task Force (co-Chair) and the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (Member-At-Large). As Director of Neuropsychological Services at Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, Dr. Bender is pleased to provide a full spectrum of care to patients before, during, and after neurosurgical treatment.

Biography: Robert Fee, PhD is a lifespan neuropsychologist who specializes in the evaluation of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning in children. Dr. Fee earned his undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University, Masters from Columbia University, and his doctorate from City University of New York with a specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology. He completed his internship training in lifespan neuropsychology including pediatrics, epilepsy, aging, movement disorders, stroke, and neurorehabilitation in the Department of Neurology at North Shore University Hospital as well as psychotherapy within the Department of Psychiatry at Zucker-Hillside Hospital (Northwell Health System). His postdoctoral training in Neuropsychology was completed at Columbia University Irving Medical Center within the Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience and Division of Child Neurology, receiving advanced training in the assessment of individuals across the lifespan with various neurological disorders. His clinical activities focus on the assessment of children with neurodevelopmental disorders including intellectual disability, learning disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, motor disorders, language disorders, genetic disorders, as well as congenital and acquired brain injuries, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, neuro-oncology and other neurological conditions. He also provides psychotherapeutic consultation to children and families.

Biography: Jaclyn Zocca is an Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a neuropsychologist at the Promise Program at Columbia within the division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Zocca is a licensed clinical psychologist and a neuropsychologist specializing in working with children and adolescents. Dr. Zocca provides comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing learning, attention/executive functioning, language, and developmental disorders. Dr. Zocca's evaluations assess aspects of an individual's academic, neurocognitive, social, and emotional functioning through a culturally sensitive, developmental framework in order to understand each person's unique strengths and areas of growth. Using this knowledge, Dr. Zocca creates individualized, effective recommendations designed to target areas of academic, neurocognitive, and socioemotional difficulty. She also provides ongoing consultation for families, school personnel, and service providers to ensure that each individual receives the appropriate supports and services to foster growth. Dr. Zocca received her B.A. in psychology, cum laude, from Georgetown University. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she worked on research projects investigating early child development and learning, parent-child interaction, and child obesity prevention at Georgetown University and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Zocca received her Psy.D. in clinical psychology from Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), where she specialized in the evaluation and evidence-based treatment of psychological disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Zocca completed her pre-doctoral internship in the child psychology track at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She is trained in the provision of evidence-based treatments for a range of internalizing and externalizing disorders. Following her doctoral training, Dr. Zocca completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She sees youth and families through the Promise Program and through Faculty Practice. In addition, as part of her work at the Promise Program Dr. Zocca is developing a school-based screening program to identify young children at risk for developing learning difficulties. This program will also seek to help link schools with additional services to support these children's learning needs.

Biography: Meghan Tomb is an Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Clinical Director of the Promise Program at Columbia. Dr. Tomb is a child and adolescent psychologist and neuropsychologist. She specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations of children, adolescents, and young adults with learning, language, attention/executive function, developmental disabilities, and complex medical issues affecting neurocognitive functioning. Evaluations are completed within a developmental framework and often include assessment of social-emotional functioning and co-occurring psychiatric concerns. Her work includes providing ongoing recommendations and consultation for families and educators in developing and implementing appropriate academic, social, and behavioral interventions for children who are evaluated. Prior to pursuing her PhD, Dr. Tomb worked for a number of years in a research capacity assisting in the implementation, training, and evaluation of effective clinical practices in school-based mental health centers in New York City. She later received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, where she specialized in childhood and adolescent mental health disorders. She completed her clinical training at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital with a focus on individual and group treatment for anxiety and depression as well as school-based interventions for childhood mental health disorders, particularly children placed within a special education setting. Following her doctoral training, she completed a fellowship in neuropsychology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and she is currently faculty in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at CUIMC. She sees children and families through the Promise Program as well as Faculty Practice. She supervises trainees in neuropsychological evaluation and psychotherapy and she is a co-mentor for the DeHirsch-Robinson Research Fellow in neuropsychology.

Biography: Katee Yang, PsyD is an assistant professor of neuropsychology in the Clinical Neuropsychology Service. Her clinical activities include the evaluation and diagnosis of cognitive and emotional functioning across the lifespan.Her primary clinical activities focuses on differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders and movement disorders. In addition to aging and dementia, she has experience in adult epilepsy, ADHD, and candidacy of movement disorder patients for DBS and Moya Moya surgeries. She completed her doctoral training in clinical neuropsychology in both adults and children at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Afterwards, she completed an internship at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center - Fresno, and an advanced clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at NYU Langone Health, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. She is bilingual in English/Mandarin Chinese and received training in assessment of both adults and children.

Biography: Dr. Sonel Rowley is a neuropsychologist at PROMISE at Columbia. She provides comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations to underserved children and adolescents with learning, language, attention/executive function, and developmental disabilities. Dr. Rowley received her doctorate in school psychology from Fordham University. She completed her predoctoral internship in school pscyhology at The Bronxville School and her postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at The Center for Attention and Learning at Lenox Hill Hospital. Throughout her clinical training, Dr. Rowley honed her skills in neuropsychological assessment by completing pediatric neuropsychology externships at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital and New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. Further, Dr. Rowley's master's degree in therapeutic interventions has allowed her to become proficient in multiple evidence-based treatment interventions for children and adolescents with an array of mental health concerns.

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Biography: As a clinical neuropsychologist and cognitive neuroscience researcher, Dr. Leavitt studies cognitive impairment and lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, sleep, mood, and social support that contribute to optimal cognitive function in neurologic populations. In addition to developing multimodal mechanistic models of cognition, she has developed and validated several new cognitive measures and scales. Her laboratory has been continuously funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the United States Department of Defense, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Biography: Marla Hamberger completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University, and earned her Masters and Doctorate from the City University of New York. After completing her internship in Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, she obtained postdoctoral training at UCLA, specializing in the neuropsychology of epilepsy. She has been with the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University Medical Center since 1992, where she is the Director of Neuropsychological Services within the Epilepsy Division, and holds the position of Professor of Neuropsychology in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University.