Psychology Education and Training Program

Training Faculty

Psychology Internship Program leadership team

Paul M. Robins, PhD, Director of Internship Training; Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Clinical and research interests: functional pain disorders; secondary traumatic stress, training competencies, family therapy. E-mail: robinsp@email.chop.edu.

Thomas B. Flynn, PhD, Associate Training Director; Pediatric Neuropsychologist; Program Director, Assessment and Neuropsychology. Clinical and research interests: neuropsychological evaluation and consultation; training and assessment methods; developmental and psychosocial effects of epilepsy; epilepsy surgery, including selection of candidates and outcome; sickle cell disease and neuropsychological effects; late neurobehavioral outcomes from cardiac surgery. E-mail: flynnt@email.chop.edu.

Debra S. Lefkowitz, PsyD, Associate Training Director; Psychologist, Division of Cardiology. Clinical and research interests: family coping with pediatric chronic illness, assessment of risk/protective factors in coping, program development and evaluation. E-mail: lefkowitz@email.chop.edu.

Stephen L. Soffer, PhD, Associate Training Director; Psychologist; Director, Outpatient Services. Clinical and research interests: ADHD (assessment and treatment, school consultation), behavioral interventions for disruptive behavioral disorders, learning disorders. E-mail: soffer@email.chop.edu.

Core faculty and staff

Melissa Alderfer, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Oncology; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania. Clinical and research interests: Family and peer relationships of children with cancer; the interplay between interpersonal relationships and adaptation to illness for all family members; multisystemic interventions. E-mail: alderfer@email.chop.edu.

Lamia Barakat, PhD, Director of Psychosocial Services in Oncology and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Clinical and research interests: risk and resilience models for predicting disease management and quality of life among youth with chronic health conditions, evidence-based screening of psychosocial risk in pediatric oncology, developing and testing family-based cognitive behavioral interventions for disease management, and adolescent and young adult engagement in decision-making about cancer treatment through clinical trials. E-mail: barakat@email.chop.edu

Lisa Blaskey, PhD, Neuropsychologist, Regional Autism Center and Center for Autism Research. Clinical Research interest: neurocognitive underpinnings of autism spectrum disorders, neuropsychological assessment, mechanisms of comorbidity in neurodevelopmental disorders. E-mail: blaskey@email.chop.edu.

Nancy Braveman, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist, Safe Place Program. E-mail: braveman@email.chop.edu.

Gayle Chesley, PhD, Psychologist, Division of Rehabilitation. Clinical and research interests: family coping with pediatric brain and spinal cord injury, adjustment to prolonged hospitalization, interdisciplinary inpatient interventions. E-mail: chesley@email.chop.edu.

Canice E. Crerand, PhD, Psychologist, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Clinical and research interests: body image and psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents with congenital or acquired appearance differences; body dysmorphic disorder; psychosocial aspects of craniofacial conditions, including cleft lip and/or palate. E-mail: crerand@email.chop.edu.

Jacqueline L. Cunningham, PhD, Pediatric Neuropsychologist. Clinical and research interests: effects of pediatric acquired brain injury; neuropsychological assessment; and rehabilitation status/post pediatric acquired brain injury. E-mail: cunningham@email.chop.edu.

Ricardo Eiraldi, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Behavioral Health in Urban Schools Program, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Clinical and research interests: Mental health services disparities: ADHD in girls and ethnic minority populations; diagnostic tools and strategies for diagnosing ADHD in school-age children. E-mail: eiraldi@email.chop.edu.

Susan F. Epstein, PhD, Psychologist; Center for Autism Research. Clinical and research interests: differential diagnosis of complex neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatric comorbidities and autism spectrum disorders, neuropsychological profiles in autism. E-mail: epsteins@email.chop.edu.

Marsha Gerdes, PhD, Psychologist, Co-director, Neonatal Follow-up Program, Director of School Readiness Specialist Initiative. Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Clinical research and interests: developmental assessment of at-risk infants and preschoolers, parent counseling for vulnerable children, assessment of children with developmental disabilities and other genetic syndromes and school readiness. E-mail: gerdes@email.chop.edu.

Casey Hoffman, PhD, Psychologist, Neonatal Follow-Up Program, Division of Neonatology. Clinical and research interests: developmental outcomes for high-risk infants; parent-infant attachment and interactions. E-mail: hoffmanc@email.chop.edu.

Lynne M. Kaplan, PhD, Psychologist, Division of Oncology. Clinical and research interests: psychosocial support for pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer and their families, cancer related traumatic stress reactions in siblings of children with cancer. E-mail: kaplanly@email.chop.edu.

Stephen S. Leff, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Friend To Friend program. Clinical and research interests: lunchroom-and playground-based violence prevention programs; gender and social cognitive differences in aggression; social skills development in children with ADHD. E-mail: leff@email.chop.edu.

Colleen Lukens, PhD, Psychologist Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Center. Clinical interests: assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders Research interests: evaluation of treatment outcome; design of novel treatment approaches; measure development.

Loretta Martin-Halpine, PsyD, Psychologist, Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Center. Clinical and research interests: relationship between anxiety, personality and feeding disorders, process improvement, organizational development and best practices. E-mail: halpine@email.chop.edu.

Jennifer Mautone, PhD, Psychologist, Center for Management of ADHD. Clinical and research interests: family-school collaboration for children with ADHD; parent education regarding behavior management of children with ADHD; collaboration between families, schools, and the healthcare system. E-mail: mautone@email.chop.edu.

Judith Miller, PhD,Clinical Training Director, Center for Autism Research. Clinical and Research interests: diagnosis and classification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and comorbid conditions, ASD screening in primary care settings, increasing access to hospital procedures for children with ASD. E-mail: millerj3@email.chop.edu.

Jodi A. Mindell, PhD, Associate Director, Sleep Center; Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Professor, Department of Joseph's University. Clinical and research interests: pediatric sleep disorders; assessment and treatment of behaviorally based sleep disorders in children and adolescents. E-mail: mindell@email.chop.edu.

Melisa Moore, CBSM, Attending Psychologist, Sleep Center. Clinical and research interests: assessment and treatment of pediatric sleep disorders, environmental and genetic influences on sleep, sleep and psychological functioning. E-mail: moorele@email.chop.edu.

Jenelle Nissley-Tsiopinis, PhD, Psychologist. Clinical and research interests: ADHD (assessment, treatment, school consultation); Executive functioning, organizational & social deficits; comorbid anxiety/ADHD; ADHD/autism spectrum disorders differential dx. E-mail: nissleyj@email.chop.edu.

Thomas J. Power, PhD, Director, Center for Management of ADHD; Professor of School Psychology in Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Clinical and research interests: health promotion; multi-systemic, community-based intervention; assessment and treatment of ADHD. E-mail: power@email.chop.edu.

Lisa Schwartz, PhD, Psychologist, Division of Oncology, Childhood Cancer Survivorship Program. Clinical and research interests: developmental, psychosocial, and health outcomes of pediatric cancer survivors; adolescents and young adults with cancer; health behaviors, health promotion, and transition to adulthood and adult medical care for adolescents/young adults with medical conditions. E-mail: schwartzl@email.chop.edu.

Jennifer Sherker, PsyD, Psychologist, Division of Rheumatology, Reflex Neurovascular Dystrophy (RND) program. Clinical and research interests: evaluation and treatment of pain disorders; readiness to change, and emotional and personality characteristics of children/adolescents with Reflex Neurovascular Dystrophy; Quality of life in children/adolescents with chronic pain; anxiety disorders; Psychological Assessment. E-mail: sherker@email.chop.edu.

Judith A. Silver, PhD, Co-Director, Safe Place: Center for Children’s Protection and Health; Associate Director, LEND Fellowship Program. Clinical Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Clinical and research interests: children with neurodevelopmental & related disabilities, infants/early childhood, foster care/health issues, interdisciplinary/intersystem collaboration, access to health care for underserved populations. E-mail: silverj@email.chop.edu.

Nancy Silverman, PhD, Psychologist, Special Immunology Family Care Clinic and Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Center. Clinical interests: psychological testing and diagnosis of autism spectrum and learning disorders; early childhood assessment (including infancy); developmental outcome in children with HIV infection and other medical conditions; assessment and treatment of childhood feeding problems; parent-child interactions. E-mail: silverman@email.chop.edu.

Nina Thomas, PhD, Pediatric Neurophysiologist. Clinical and research interests: physiological variables affecting cognitive recovery from TBI, late effects of cancer treatment, and cognitive effects of spinal bifida. E-mail: thomasn@email.chop.edu.

Elizabeth Turner, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.Clinical and research interests: pediatric gastrointestinal diseases; impact of nutritional supplementation and growth on psychosocial well-being in children with inflammatory bowel disease. E-mail: turnere1@email.chop.edu.

Christine Reinhard, PhD

Kimberly S. Miller, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Pain/Rheumatology; Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS) Program, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Clinical and research interests: Coping and adjustment for children with chronic illness and their families; the impact of physician communication on adaptation to illness and treatment decision-making. E-mail: millerk7@email.chop.edu.