Clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship

The Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology and adheres to the Houston Conference standards and model for specialty training in clinical neuropsychology. Members of our faculty are involved in leadership and as delegates for the Minnesota Update Conference focused on updating training standards for the field. The fellowship provides advanced competence training in clinical neuropsychology focused on early childhood through early adulthood in a pediatric medical setting. The objective of the fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology is to provide training in culturally informed neuropsychological evaluation of children and adolescents with a wide range of medical conditions that impact the central nervous system. Fellows are trained as practitioner-scholars through a focus on direct clinical care and evidence-based practice. These skills are developed through individual assessment and multidisciplinary experiences in assessment and consultation. Individual and group supervision follows a developmental model. Multicultural competence and ethical practice are integral components of all areas of training. The fellowship is designed to provide trainees with the experience required for state licensure and to meet the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) certification eligibility requirements for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) Diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology as well as the ABPP Subspecialty Diploma in Pediatric Neuropsychology.

The training model of the program, a practitioner-scholar model, emphasizes clinical competence, the ability to be an effective consumer of research, and the ability to apply knowledge of research to clinical work, which are all key aspects of the training program at Children’s. The training at Children’s offers a depth and breadth of clinical opportunities. Trainees are expected to learn to incorporate scholarship fluidly with their clinical work. The training emphasis is clinical, comprising most of the fellow’s time, with the remainder of time focused on didactic and research activities. The fellow will conduct approximately two evaluations per week supervised by rotating faculty. Evaluations are completed with a wide range of patient populations including, but not limited to, epilepsy, cancer, hydrocephalus, neurofibromatosis, acquired brain injury (e.g., stroke, TBI, etc.), solid organ transplant, neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, specific learning disorder, etc.), and genetic syndromes. The majority of clinical experiences are provided in outpatient settings, with inpatient evaluation experiences (i.e., rehabilitation, EMU) available as well. There are two primary tracks for which the fellows will designate upon ranking that vary in site location, supervisors, and patient population focus. Both tracks at Children’s offer a unique training opportunity in the neuropsychological assessment of bilingual (Spanish-English) pediatric patients for bilingual and monolingual fellows.

Track 1 – Pediatric Neuropsychology Emphasis (Match Code: 8521): In addition to two weekly outpatient cases focused primarily on neurologically-relevant medical populations, the fellow will provide consultative services in the Children’s Neuro-Oncology and Neurofibromatosis clinics. Additional clinical training experiences are available in multi-disciplinary programs dedicated to concussion, epilepsy surgery, cardiology, demyelinating disorders, rehabilitation, and functional neurological disorders.
Track 2 – Developmental Neuropsychology Emphasis (Match Code: 8523): The fellow will conduct 2 weekly outpatient evaluations with neurologically-relevant medical populations. The fellow will provide consultative services in 22Q Deletion Syndrome, Down Syndrome, and Complex Care Medical Services clinics. Additional clinical training experiences are available in multidisciplinary programs dedicated to foster care, adolescent medicine, and child abuse.

Educational training experiences include weekly neuropsychology didactics (e.g., Neuropsychology Seminar and 2-year ABPP/ABCN Written Exam preparation course) as well as weekly seminars focused on professional development, group supervision, and didactics on various topics offered through the broader Children’s Postdoctoral Program in Child Clinical Psychology. Supplemental didactic opportunities are also offered across Children’s and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (e.g., brain cutting). Additionally, fellows will participate in a research and/or program development project, with opportunities to develop original projects or participate in ongoing projects with faculty members.

Application and Selection Process

Qualified applicants will have completed a doctoral degree in an APA/CPA-accredited clinical, school, or counseling psychology program. Completion of an APA/CPA-accredited pre-doctoral internship is also required. Candidates should have extensive experience working with children and adolescents and experience in neuropsychological assessment. Successful dissertation defense is required prior to commencement of postdoctoral training.

Applicants for the postdoctoral fellowship are asked to submit the following. Please do not submit additional materials beyond what is listed below:

Letter of interest describing relevant training, work experience, track(s) to which the applicant is applying (i.e., Pediatric Neuropsychology Emphasis, Developmental Neuropsychology Emphasis, or both), and goals for postdoctoral fellowship. This letter should be no more than two pages single-spaced.
One copy of a current CV.
Official doctoral degree graduate school transcript, which may be sent electronically or by mail from the academic institution to Lana Harder, PhD, ABPP, 1935 Medical District Drive, F5.11 Dallas, Texas 75235. Please make sure that the link to access electronic transcript(s) does not expire before the application deadline.
Two sample neuropsychological evaluation reports with all identifying patient information removed. It is preferred that both reports are pediatric cases.
Three letters of recommendation. Please note, letters must be sent directly from the letter writers via email to npfellowship@childrens.com.
Doctoral training verification form from APPCN website for candidates who have not completed the doctoral degree at the time of application.

Deadline for receipt of all materials is January 3rd. Please send application materials and/or any questions by email to Lana Harder, PhD, ABPP at npfellowship@childrens.com

Interviews are arranged following review of applications. All interviews will be held virtually.

The Children’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is a participant in the APPCN Resident Matching Program conducted by National Matching Services, Inc. Details regarding the matching process can be obtained at the APPCN website (http://www.appcn.org).

Clinical Neuropsychology Program Faculty by Track

Faculty Associated with Track One

Angela Canas, Ph.D.

Dr. Canas is a clinical neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) Medical Center. Dr. Canas conducts neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients with an array of complex medical, developmental, and neurological conditions, with an emphasis on Spanish-monolingual and bilingual patients, as well as those with neurofibromatosis, type I (NF1) and congenital heart disease (CHD). She is the Lead Pediatric Neuropsychologist for the Children’s Health/UTSW Neurofibromatosis Program and the Bilingual Neuropsychologist for the Children's Health Heart Center Fontan Program. Her clinical interests include formulating effective methods by which to establish the need for comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations in patients with NF1 and CHD and increasing the quality of care provided to Spanish-speaking families. Her research interests primarily revolve around the cognitive, academic, and psychosocial outcomes of NF1, CHD, and dual language exposure. Dr. Canas participates in research projects sponsored by the NF Clinical Trials Consortium and the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative and has published in the area of bilingual assessment. Dr. Canas also holds a National Certification in School Psychology and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (2022-2024). She is also the Co-Chair of the Children’s Health Neuropsychology Bilingual Committee, serves on the UTSW Clinical Training Committee, and participates in the education and clinical supervision of trainees, recently serving as the Children’s Health/UTSW Cultural Diversity Scholar supervisor.

Jordan Constance, Ph.D.

Dr. Constance is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health. She completed her Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University and a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at Michigan Medicine. She works primarily within the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on the pediatric inpatient rehabilitation unit at Our Children’s House to treat and assess children and adolescents with acquired brain injuries and other neurological conditions. She has a special interest in early childhood development and neurodevelopmental assessment. Dr. Constance is involved in various professional organizations and participates in the education and clinical supervision of trainees.

Candace Genest, Ph.D, ABPP.

Dr. Genest is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Genest is housed within the Department of Rehabilitation and Therapy Services, specializing in developmental and neuropsychological evaluations in children and adolescents with Autism as well as other developmental and neurological conditions. Her clinical and research interests include outcomes in rehabilitation for acquired brain injury and differential diagnosis of Autism in the context of complex medical and developmental disorders.

Lana Harder, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Harder leads the Neuropsychology Service and Neuropsychology training program at Children’s Medical Center. She holds dual faculty appointments as Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at UT Southwestern. Dr. Harder is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology and is a board certified Subspecialist in Pediatric Neuropsychology. Nationally, Dr. Harder was elected President-Elect of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN). She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology and two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors of APPCN. She also serves on the Board of Directors and Medical and Scientific Council of the Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association. Dr. Harder is a fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Dr. Harder earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She completed post-doctoral fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Harder has served as a Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Medical Center since 2008. She was a founding member and is the current Co-Director of the Children’s Medical Center Pediatric Demyelinating Diseases Clinic. Inspired by her work evaluating children with rare disorders, Dr. Harder published the first study on pediatric tele-neuropsychology. Additional research interests include brain imaging correlates of neuropsychological functioning in demyelinating disorders, and longitudinal cognitive and psychosocial outcomes for pediatric multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and neuromyelitis optica. Dr. Harder also participates in a multi-site longitudinal investigation on the impact of cancer and its treatment on early development in infants and toddlers.

Erin Kennedy, Psy.D.

Dr. Kennedy is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Health. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology – Biola University and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children’s Health, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. She completes neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients through the Neuropsychological Service and has a clinical interest in children and adolescents with epilepsy. She is a part of the epilepsy surgery multidisciplinary team and conducts inpatient neuropsychological evaluations in the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) to assist with determining a patient’s candidacy for surgery. Her research interests include neuropsychological and developmental outcomes following temporal lobectomy.

Joy Neumann, Psy.D.

Dr. Neumann is a Bilingual Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Medical Center Dallas and an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Albizu University, pre-doctoral internship at Texas Children’s Hospital, and two-year post-doctoral neuropsychology fellowship at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Dr. Neumann is a native Spanish-speaker who specializes in the neuropsychological evaluation of Spanish and bilingual (Spanish-English) pediatric patients with a range of medical conditions, as well as those referred for inpatient pre-surgical epilepsy evaluations. Dr. Neumann is a published researcher in the topic of bilingual assessment, and assists in the recruitment of Spanish-speaking participants in research studies. She also serves as a clinical supervisor of trainees interested in the bilingual assessment rotation. Dr. Neumann is the Assistant Training Director of the Neuropsychology Fellowship Program at CMCD, Co-Chair of the Bilingual Neuropsychology Committee at CMCD, and Chair of the UTSW Cultural Diversity Scholarship Committee in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program.

Marsha Siebenmorgen, Ph.D.

Dr. Siebenmorgen conducts neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients with an array of complex medical, developmental, and neurological conditions, with an emphasis on mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)/concussion and congenital heart disease. Her research interests include pediatric concussion symptom and recovery as well as cognitive functioning in single ventricle heart patients pre- versus post-Fontan. Her clinical interests include establishing a method to determine the need for consultation versus comprehensive evaluations in patients. Her approach includes working with children and families to develop an understanding of the multiple levels of individual and psychosocial factors that may contribute to a child’s functioning in order to provide intervention recommendations to support optimal developmental outcomes.

Andrea Wahlberg, Ph.D.

Dr. Wahlberg is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is the pediatric neuropsychologist for Children’s Health, Children’s Medical Center in Plano. She is credentialed with the National Register of Health Service Psychologists and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Dr. Wahlberg provides comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients with a wide variety of medical and developmental conditions which affect neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning. Her clinical and research interests include pediatric concussion and the development and implementation of a brief neuropsychological screening battery for this population. Dr. Wahlberg also participates in the clinical and research supervision of doctoral students, interns, and post-doctoral fellows.

Alison Wilkinson-Smith, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Wilkinson-Smith is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry. She is board certified in clinical neuropsychology and is a board certified Specialist in Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. Wilkinson-Smith provides neuropsychological evaluations of pediatric patients of all ages through the Neuropsychology Service at Children’s Medical Center Dallas and also through the outpatient psychiatry clinic. She is the co-director of the Functional Neurological Disorders Clinic. Her clinical interests include therapeutic and collaborative assessment techniques, autism spectrum and other social competence disorders and neuropsychological assessment in the context of complex psychosocial issues. Research interests include the effectiveness of therapeutic and collaborative assessment techniques, pediatric functional neurological disorders, and neuropsychological sequelae of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

Faculty Associated with Track Two

Veronica Bordes Edgar, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Bordes Edgar is a board certified neuropsychologist and Associate Professor with joint faculty appointments in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. She serves as a bilingual (English/Spanish) Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Children’s Health and is Co-Director for the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She earned her PhD from Arizona State University after completing her internship at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She completed postdoctoral training in neuropsychology at The University of Minnesota Medical School. She is Board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in Clinical Neuropsychology and Pediatric Neuropsychology. Her areas of interest include cultural and bilingual issues in assessment, genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders, and interdisciplinary teaching of medical and psychology trainees. Dr. Bordes Edgar currently serves on the Admissions Committee for the UT Southwestern Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, Faculty on the AGGME Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship Program, and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee in Clinical Psychology for UT Southwestern.

Beatriz (Tish) MacDonald Wer, Ph.D.

Dr. MacDonald Wer is a bilingual (English/Spanish) pediatric neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center Dallas. She received her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver, with specialties in neuropsychology, multicultural awareness, and statistics. Dr. MacDonald completed her internship and postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Health Sciences Center. Dr. MacDonald is an invited faculty member of the Master’s Program in Neuropsychology at the Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala. Her clinical focus is on the neuropsychological evaluation of bilingual and monolingual children with a wide variety of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., spina bifida, autism, genetic conditions) ranging in age from early childhood through late adolescence. She provides clinical services at Children’s Health and clinical and research services at My Health My Resources (MHMR) Autism Program. Training curriculum centers on how sociocultural factors impact development, cognition, and behavior in the context of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. MacDonald’s research focuses on how to better understand the impact that different factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, language, and culture) have on neurodevelopment and how it informs culturally-competent neuropsychological practices. She serves on several national and regional boards and initiatives focused on increasing healthcare equity, fostering mentorship and mentorship, and strengthening the student pathways.