'Neuropsychology Family' Reunites in Oregon

The "neuropsychology family" at McMicken College of Arts & Sciences continues to grow – and several members of the family recently got a chance to participate in the family's annual "reunion."

The annual International Neuropsychological Society meeting – the largest national and international conference for neuropsychologists – wrapped up in early February in Portland, Ore. There, several students, along with professor Paula Shear, carried on a longtime tradition of learning and networking that envelops UC students and faculty, past and present.

"Our presence at that meeting has a substantial impact on our reputation as a program and our effective interaction with prospective applicants and future supervisors and employers for our students," said Shear, who lauds her colleagues for establishing the program and maintaining its momentum.

Current and former UC psychology students gather at a dinner held during the February 2007 International Neuropsychological Society Meeting in Portland, Ore. Back row, left to right: Jason Bailie, Molly Zimmerman (alum), Krista Medina (alum), Kelly McNally, Joaquin Burciaga, Michelle Madore, Megan Kramer, Kati Farrell Pagulayan (alum), Chris Baker and Konstantin Rybalsky. From row, left to right: Sarah Tlustos, Maya Ramirez, Leah Chapman, Erica Dawson, Paula Shear (faculty) and Mario Dulay (alum).

"We regularly have a large cohort of students and affiliated faculty who attend the meeting to present research conducted at UC and to make contributions to associated activities such as mentoring events."

For example, she said, this year faculty participated in research presentations and as panelists in widely attended discussion sessions on women’s career development and student training recommendations, and as mentors for a session to promote professional development for ethnic minority neuropsychologists.

Another highlight was the group's yearly dinner, attended by current students and program alumnus. The dinner is "a great event and really underscores the size and impact our clinical neuro training program is having," said Steve Howe, Psychology Department head.

Shear said the primary purpose of the annual dinner "is to celebrate the growth of our program and the successes of our students, and to maintain close relationships and a sense of continuity between our current and past students."

"Our current students are inspired by the successes of those who came before them, as they can see that the previous 'generations' of students have gone on to excellent positions and to play active roles in neuropsychology practice, training, and research," she said.

"And our graduates enjoy meeting the current students, to pass along some of their experiences and to maintain a connection to their graduate program."

Doctoral student Michelle Madore's expected graduation is spring, 2010. She works for Dr. Stephen M. Strakowski at the Center for Imaging Research at the College of Medicine, where she is currently looking at brain activation patterns of healthy individuals for emotional experience using fMRI.

"One of the things I look forward to every year at this conference is the American Psychological Association - Division 40 Ethnic Minority Affairs Mentoring session," Madore said. "My understanding is that the goal of this committee is to diversify the field by helping minority students through mentoring relationships. Overall, the conference is great and always includes opportunities to meet or at least hear from leading persons in the field."

And meeting alums "is a fabulous opportunity to hear what my options are in the future as well as giving students an opportunity to network," Madore said. "Additionally, it serves as a good reminder that eventually I will complete the program. They give me hope. Sometimes the requirements feel so difficult it feels like I may never finish. Seeing them shows me that I can and that I will."

Third-year graduate student Kelly McNally is in the clinical psychology PhD program, with research focus on the neuropsychology of epilepsy.

The poster sessions at the INS meeting were particularly informative for McNally, she said, since they allowed the opportunity to talk informally to other researchers about their current projects.

"In these sessions, it was helpful to hear how researchers at other institutions have tackled some of the same methodological issues that I have been having," she said. "These discussions have also sparked some new research ideas, possibly for my dissertation project. I also enjoyed the INS presidential address on cognitive rehabilitation efforts, since I am interested in learning more about memory rehabilitation for patients with epilepsy."

Talking with UC alums at INS meetings has been "an invaluable experience" for McNally.

"Alumni who have recently graduated and have been through the process of interviewing for post-doctoral or faculty positions have provided tons of great information about this process," she said. "It is also comforting to hear from other students who were in my position just a few years ago and to see how successful they have become. Meeting with the alumni may also prove to be a great networking strategy – since a number of them are currently working in institutions where I will be applying for internships and post-doc positions."

Master's student Konstantin Rybalsky's specific field of research is in olfaction and neuropsychology. He is currently studying the effects of semantic cues on episodic memory in olfaction.

"One of the most interesting presentations that I heard was by McKay Sohlberg. She gave a very insightful talk about cognitive rehabilitation for persons with severe memory impairments, using techniques from both the field of special education and neuropsychology," he said.

"Specifically, she discussed the importance of errorless learning as part of a cognitive training strategy used in rehabilitation for patients with traumatic brain injury. Errorless learning is simply that – learning that occurs in the absence of errors, as compared to learning by trial and error, for example. I've been thinking since the talk as to how I can implement this technique in my own research to enhance olfactory memory abilities the elderly populations with mild olfactory impairments.

He, too, learned from alums at the dinner.

"I think the most I got from our dinner and from talking to the alumni, is the 'inside scoop' on what I will be/should be doing when I finish my PhD," he said.

"I got a chance to talk to Mario Dulay – a former student of my mentor, Dr. Robert Frank. A post-doctoral program can be a source of some anxiety for graduate students. Mario helped me see some options that I did not really know about before. Also, I received some feedback from him on the research I am doing right now. His perspective is unique in that it comes from years of experience doing research in the same field."

Students at this year's meeting, Rybalsky said, "were in a unique position to watch Dr. Shear give a presentation during the INS conference, and it stood out as one of the most interesting and engaging presentations of the entire meeting."

And Robert Frank, he said, "has given me a broader understanding of my research field than I could have ever accomplished with anyone else. He continually supports and encourages my efforts to publish, get funding, present at conferences, and become a competent expert in my field of research."

Since arriving at UC in 1997, Shear said, "one of the high points of my position has been the opportunity to interact closely with so many excellent students."

"Over the past 10 years, the other faculty members and I have kept in touch with the vast majority of our graduates, and I have the pleasure of hearing regularly from many of them. The result is that it feels like our 'neuropsychology family' is growing by leaps and bounds.

"With the outstanding faculty who preceded me at UC and who established the current neuropsychology training program, together with an exceptional new assistant professor who will be joining us in the fall, I am confident that we will maintain a strong national reputation in the field."