Election Ballot for AACN Board of Directors (2025)
Dr. Joseph Fink will complete his elected term on the Board of Directors in February 2025. AACN would like to sincerely thank him for his service to the Board and to the field of Clinical Neuropsychology.
We are pleased to present several highly qualified, capable candidates across three Board-approved slates: Early Career, Forensic, and Technology. The candidate from each slate who receives the most votes will start their 5-year board term at the end of the February 2025 Board Meeting. The candidate statements for Drs. Considine, Link, and Slyne (Early Career Slate), Drs. Askenazi and Marreiro (Forensic Slate), and Drs. Crouch, DeRight, and VanPatten (Technology Slate) appear below by slate and surname.
To be eligible to vote in the AACN election, you must be logged in as a current Active or Senior Member of AACN. The ballot appears below the candidates’ statements. Voting closes on Monday, October 14, 2024 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time.
Early Career Slate
Ciaran M. Considine, PhD, ABPP
ciaran.considine@vumc.org
I am honored to accept the nomination for the AACN Board of Directors under the Early Career slate. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, I am actively engaged in a broad spectrum of roles, including clinical practice, research, education, forensic work, as well as administrative leadership. This diverse background uniquely qualifies me for a representative leadership position, equipping me with a broad perspective that reflects the diversity of the AACN community.
At this pivotal stage in my career—entering my seventh year of independent practice—I am well-positioned to advocate for the needs of early career neuropsychologists. As I transition toward mid-career, I am eager to give back to the professional community, drawing from my journey from fellowship to the multifaceted professional profile I have now. I am deeply committed to addressing the challenges faced by our early career members, informed not only by my experiences but also by actively seeking feedback from the community.
As the inaugural Chair of the AACN Early Career Committee, I have had the privilege of assembling a team of motivated early career neuropsychologists, representing diverse demographics, geographies, and professional practice areas. This new standing committee, which has received unanimous support from the Board of Directors, is dedicated to identifying and addressing the unique needs of early career professionals, including Non-Certified Affiliates. Our mission is to enhance AACN’s services, increase access to career resources, and promote board certification among early career neuropsychologists.
My platform is rooted in a synergistic vision that aligns with my role as Chair of the Early Career Committee. If elected to the Board, I plan to:
- Enhance Mentorship and Engagement: I aim to increase one-on-one mentorship opportunities and foster greater organizational engagement with Non-Certified Affiliates. By shifting the tone to a supportive expectation of progress toward board certification, we can reduce both administrative and psychological barriers.
- Develop Targeted Workshops: I will advocate for workshops focused on early career topics, such as first job interviews, contract negotiations, and strategies for success in diverse professional settings.
- Diversify Practice Opportunities: I am committed to exploring and promoting subspecialty areas within neuropsychology to early career neuropsychologists, which frequently remain undiscovered far longer into a career than necessary. This includes forensic neuropsychology, fitness-for-duty evaluations, clinical trial consulting, and roles in both civilian service and enlisted governmental settings (eg, NASA, FAA, DoD, DVA).
- Improve Support for Isolated Professionals: I will pursue strategies to better support early career professionals who may have limited access to supervision, mentorship, or regular AACN participation, including those in rural areas, small/isolated private practice, or marginalized groups. Notably, the latter must be expanded beyond traditional definitions, to include other examples of early career neuropsychologists who may have difficulty engaging with AACN due to financial instability, being a new parent, etc.
I believe my experience and vision align well with the goals of AACN, and I am excited about the possibility of contributing to the Board of Directors during this critical period of professional development for our early career members.
Thank you for considering my candidacy.
Jared S. Link, PsyD, ABPP
link.jared.s@gmail.com
I am honored to be nominated as a candidate for the Early Career position on AACN’s Board of Directors (BOD). As an active-duty US Air Force neuropsychologist, I have enjoyed serving in various clinical, consultative, academic, and leadership roles. Early in my career, several mentors instilled in me the importance of advocacy, the pursuit of board certification, and committee involvement.
I managed two deployments to the Middle East shortly after completing both fellowship and internship while I was still developing my professional identity. I understand the difficulty new neuropsychologists can experience navigating the transition from the learning environment to working as independent clinicians. As one of the very few Air Force neuropsychologists and an even smaller subset who are board-certified, I recognize the unique challenges for specialized clinicians working in isolation or rural areas.
Throughout my early career, I have been fortunate to have excellent mentors who energized my desire to pursue board certification, fueled my decision to serve the career field and continue to foster my professional development. Their influence on my career since completing fellowship in 2021 has been significant. Mentorship helps not only mentees but contributes to a strong professional community and sense of affiliation that benefits us all. I plan to work with current BOD members and committee chairs to strengthen existing mentorship programs and develop new opportunities and incentives for both mentors and mentees.
Advocacy for expanded access to affordable continuing education programs and workshops for newer neuropsychologists is also important to me. I will focus specifically on the development of continuing education opportunities relevant to early-career neuropsychologists. For example, many early career neuropsychologists would benefit from a better understanding of the diverse opportunities available to them outside of traditional clinical roles.
Lastly, many of the senior neuropsychologists in our community have developed expertise in unique and emerging areas of practice. I plan to develop pathways for early career neuropsychologists to broaden the scope of our clinical capabilities by learning from the work of our senior colleagues.
The three areas I highlight here are among just some of the issues affecting early career neuropsychologists. To address other issues, I plan to continue to work closely with the Early Career Committee, survey other early career practitioners, and establish conversations with senior neuropsychologists. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to serving all of you in the future!
Kristin E. Slyne, PsyD, ABPP
kristin.slyne@gmail.com
It is truly an honor to be nominated for AACN’s Board of Directors (BOD) Early Career position. I believe I am well-suited for this role as I have been fortunate to serve in a number of clinical, training, leadership, administrative, and service-oriented positions. I began my career as a staff and lead neuropsychologist at Hartford HealthCare in CT. Following experience in several clinical settings and leadership roles, I was promoted to Neuropsychology Department Manager, and as part of this leadership position am successfully advocating for the role of neuropsychology in integrated care settings and developing opportunities to better serve our diverse clinical population. Because of my dedication to excellent training and passion for mentoring new neuropsychologists, I assumed the Training Director role of our APPCN-member postdoctoral fellowship. In this role, I ensured our fellowship satisfied all competencies related to our field, and also incorporated more opportunities for mentorship and professional development. As part of my commitment to service to our field, I have been serving on NAN’s Professional Affairs and Information Committee for almost three years. I am also President of Connecticut’s Neuropsychology Division where I am increasing networking opportunities, developing robust training and professional resources, and advocating for fair reimbursement in my home state.
The AACN Early Career position is especially appealing and personally meaningful. I view the early career phase as a time for significant growth and exploration as well as a period of potential uncertainty and trepidation. If elected to the BOD, I plan to work closely with the Early Career Committee to support the unique needs of early career neuropsychologists. For instance, I am interested in enhancing programming that will provide additional opportunities for continued advancement of foundational knowledge and functional skills, professional development, and mentorship/sponsorship. Given the crucial role of networking, I also plan to increase opportunities to interact with neuropsychologists and other professionals. Moreover, I believe it is important to recognize early career accomplishments within the field and would like to work with the committee to initiate early career awards and perhaps mentorship/sponsorship awards as well. Lastly, I take my role as a mentor very seriously. I would like to do this on a more national level by lifting and supporting others to become leaders and advocates in the field.
In sum, I am very passionate about service to our field as well as the mission of AACN. I believe my many different and unique experiences would allow me, as an early career neuropsychologist, to advocate for and meet the needs of other early career neuropsychologists. I welcome the opportunity to serve you as a member of the AACN BOD.
Forensic Slate
Galit Askenazi, PhD, ABPP
drask@neuroforensics.com
It is my honor to be considered for the Forensic slate for the AACN Board. As someone who began professionally with a love of neuropsychology and, through experiences, was exposed to both civil and criminal neuropsychology, as well as other areas such as disability determinations, citizenship exemption, asylum, guardianship, and fitness for duty, I have vast knowledge and experience in both fields, and the intersections of the fields. As one of the few dually ABPP board certified clinical neuropsychologists and forensic psychologists, who does both civil and criminal work, for plaintiff and defense, defense and prosecution, I believe I would bring a great deal of insight to the progression of forensic neuropsychology. I have specialized in adult neurological disorders, dementia, concussion/traumatic brain injury, psychotic disorders, emotional disorders, intellectual disabilities, developmental disorders (e.g., ADHD, autism spectrum disorders), somatic symptom disorders, personality disorders, and substance use. I have been a civil and criminal expert in cases from around the country, testifying over 70 times and having worked on over 40 capital cases, with my criminal work being for all issues and at all levels, ranging from county competency evaluations to federal Atkins consideration and domestic terrorism/mass shooting mitigation. I have extensive experience in assessing and testifying regarding malingering, an area neuropsychologists are uniquely prepared to assess and address. I want to see neuropsychologists better informed and educated regarding forensic work, so that we all feel comfortable in addressing forensic issues as they come our way, which research shows is happening in an increasingly rapid manner. I have a PSYPACT Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate, which I encourage all to get so that we as neuropsychologists can assist wherever a request comes from. I am constantly doing review of research and legal holdings to become more educated and up-to-date on issues. I feel comfortable working with attorneys to uphold standards such as related to appropriate release of raw data, and would work to expand the database of information to address issues such as this, as well as personally serve as a resource for questions. With good knowledge of the positions from neuropsychological and forensic psychological organizations, I believe I would be an excellent conduit to help integrate education and professional standards for all neuropsychologists so that we all are competent to practice forensically in a knowledgeable manner and with professional integrity.
Catherine Marreiro, PhD, ABPP
catherine.marreiro@gmail.com
I am excited and honored for the opportunity to run for the forensic slate of the AACN Board of Directors. I am particularly committed to addressing the most pressing issues in forensic neuropsychology, including enhancing the protection of test security and expanding training and mentorship opportunities to make this career path more accessible to our diverse membership. As I move from early to mid-career, I understand the challenges faced by early-career neuropsychologists and have developed the skills and relationships necessary for effective advocacy.
My work is focused on three main areas: leading as the Director of Neuropsychology at the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center (an outpatient hospital-based clinic), conducting medicolegal evaluations through my private practice, and advocating for test security amidst emerging threats within California’s legal landscape.
My journey as a neuropsychologist began with earning a Master’s degree and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State University, followed by a pre-doctoral neuropsychology internship at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, and a two-year postdoctoral neuropsychology fellowship at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at the University of California, Davis.
My advocacy journey is rooted in a childhood marked by involvement in a series of reform elections that led to a dismantling of a corrupt, old guard judiciary in metro Atlanta. Throughout these campaigns, our family spent evenings and weekends knocking on doors, attending community events, and participating in strategy meetings. In the process, I learned the power of grassroots organizing, collective action, and standing by one’s principles.
My own advocacy engagement was unplanned and arose from a critical need within my practice, sparked by a California appellate decision that posed significant risks to test security, essentially providing grounds for attorney demands to raw test data. While damaging, the decision also outlined needed steps to ensure test security. While most actions were beyond my control, such as revising the ethics code and creating legislation, I focused on a feasible step: canvassing local neuropsychologists. Through direct, grassroots outreach, I contacted all California ABPP-CN members personally and leveraged networks to raise awareness. Within weeks, I gained significant support, and over the past year, support for a collective statement has expanded to over 220 signatories, including more than 94% of California ABPP-CN members and substantial participation from other neuropsychologists. This statement has provided those in the trenches with an effective tool in pre-exam negotiations and at the individual trial court level where it has been cited as grounds for judges to not release raw test data.
These efforts are but a part of the broader mission to protect test security in California and beyond. However, every new signature further establishes the “prevailing professional judgment of psychologists” (see Introductory section of ethics code), providing a foundation for future actions of strengthening the ethics code and pursing legislative support.
One of the most rewarding aspects of coalition building has been the opportunity to build relationships with neuropsychology colleagues across California and nationwide, allowing me to gain insight into the concerns of our members. Key themes that have emerged as priorities include: protecting test security, enhancing training to advance the ethical practice of forensic neuropsychology, and ensuring that this rewarding path is accessible to all, reflecting the diversity of our profession.
If elected, I am committed to leveraging my experience, passion, and dedication to advance the goals of the AACN, both forensic and beyond, and to advocate for the integrity and inclusivity of our field.
Technology Slate
John Crouch, PhD, ABPP
johncrouchphd58@gmail.com
My interest in technology developed over time from various influences. This includes multiple family members with IT careers who gave me an appreciation of early technological challenges and how their solutions evolved. Along with my work as a neuropsychologist utilizing computer-based scoring and testing tools, I worked for many years as a professional photographer, utilizing software products incorporating advanced imaging technologies. Although crucial to an efficient photographic workflow, use of this software also gave me an appreciation of how easily imaging “reality” could be inappropriately manipulated.
My interest in technology further evolved within my role as Medical Director in Group Protection at Lincoln Financial Group. In this position, I provide oversight of the behavioral health disability claim’s management process. In recent years, a partnership with a US-based technology company has resulted in numerous efficiencies using AI. For example, we utilize AI to deduplicate records, saving reviewers hours of time and speeding up the claim’s decision-making process. We also have various projects using large language model (LLM) technologies to help reviewers search records more efficiently. Finally, projects are underway to evaluate the utility of using AI to concisely summarize medical records and make basic claims approvals. Although never the final decision maker, we feel AI has helped us be more responsive to our corporate customers and their employees.
My work with AI at Lincoln has led me to wonder how technology could be further utilized in neuropsychology. For example, could AI help neuropsychologists more accurately summarize large record sets, consider all possible etiologies for a set of test findings, and/or assist with evidenced-based recommendations? Could technology help clinicians evaluate subtle aspects of performance validity? What ethical issues should be considered in the use of AI in our clinical work? These, and many other, questions about the use of technology will require careful consideration. Although challenging and constantly evolving, I think AACN could provide leadership in this process.
In closing, I appreciate your consideration of my candidacy for AACN Board of Directors, Technology slate. If chosen to serve, I hope to make a meaningful contribution to the Board, AACN, and the field of neuropsychology.
Jonathan DeRight, PhD, ABPP
jderightphd@gmail.com
The time is right for AACN to establish a technology slate on the board, and it is my honor to accept the nomination for this position. Clinical neuropsychology has a bright future, but we must work together to innovate, adapt, and grow with new technologies to remain relevant and safeguard our practices. Both my master’s thesis and dissertation at Syracuse University involved technologies such as machine learning and computerized test administration, and I went on to author a paper on computerized testing stemming from this work (I Just Want My Research Credit: Frequency of Suboptimal Effort in a Non-Clinical Healthy Undergraduate Sample) in TCN. In addition to my PhD in clinical psychology from Syracuse University, I received specialized training in clinical neuropsychology at SUNY Upstate Medical University during my internship and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine during my fellowship.
Last year, I completed a 6-week course involving AI in healthcare through a program at MIT, and this past summer I presented a workshop regarding the responsible use of AI in clinical neuropsychology at the AACN conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. I continue to share these findings at other conferences, and I am also honored to serve as a guest editor of an upcoming special issue of The Clinical Neuropsychologist related to artificial intelligence. Technology spans far beyond adding a computer to our usual protocols. A rapidly evolving technological world will bring potential innovation to the way we develop and use tests, prepare reports, create electronic medical records, and perform research.
I have been working in private practice since 2016, and I chose the name of my practice—Precision Neuropsychology, PLLC— in a nod to precision medicine, as I believe that we can deliver individualized and highly specific care to our patients. As we gravitate away from traditional full-day clinical neuropsychological assessments, new technologies can increase our efficiency and accuracy. If properly executed, we have the potential to make a briefer, more individually catered neuropsychological assessment that could mimic the detailed work products for which we are known in less time and perhaps with even more precise analyses and recommendations. In the forensic world, I am especially intrigued by the role that AI can have in our development of new validity measures and tests, as these technologies could do wonders in addressing some of our most contested topics such as the unauthorized sharing of test items.
The Disruptive Technology Committee has already made great strides in being a liaison and sparking interest in new technologies in the field, and I expect this to continue blossoming as our field continues to innovate. The advancements possible using this technology are vast, and so are the ethical quandaries that accompany them. As with any new technology, we must also ensure that new practices and techniques are implemented in such a way that does not put the consumers of neuropsychological assessment at undue risk. Thus, establishing ethical guidelines related to these new technologies is also of paramount importance. In conclusion, I want to express my sincere gratitude and interest in serving on the AACN Board of Directors Technology Slate. I humbly request your vote, and I will strive to represent the academy membership and our profession with an eye toward ethically implementing new technologies to improve neuropsychological practice.
Ryan Van Patten, PhD, ABPP
ryan_van_patten@brown.edu
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be considered to join the AACN Board of Directors, Technology Slate. I am a Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist at VA Providence and an Assistant Professor at Brown University. I am actively involved in clinical work, mentorship, supervision, and technology-focused neuropsychological research. I have great respect for the contributions of AACN to our field, including the ongoing leadership of the Board, and I would be thrilled to contribute as a member.
As an early career neuropsychologist, I have experience in leadership roles at the local and national levels. Locally, I serve as the Neuropsychology Track Coordinator for our Brown University Clinical Psychology Internship Program, and I am also a member of our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. At the national level, I serve as a Delegate for the Minnesota Update Conference, a member of the Advisory Board for the New2Neuropsychology organization, and the Science Officer for the APA Division 40 Early Career Neuropsychologist Committee. In these roles, I have gained experience in organizational decision making, balancing the needs of diverse groups of neuropsychologists, which would help me consider various perspectives of the AACN constituency if I am elected to the Board.
I believe that I am well positioned to contribute to the AACN Board through the Technology Slate position. For example, I am the co-creator, co-producer, and co-host of the Navigating Neuropsychology (NavNeuro) podcast, with Dr. John Bellone. NavNeuro is a digital method of evidence-based educational content (nearly 150 individual episodes) that is freely available to neuropsychologists and trainees all over the world. Through my work with the podcast, I have gained an appreciation for the potential for digital methods to provide highly accessible science-based educational content and to augment the in-person learning methods used by our training programs. Relatedly, in the NavNeuro podcast, I have engaged in deep discussions about important issues in the technology space, including novel digital test batteries (e.g., the D-KEFS 2.0, the NIH Toolbox), computerized adaptive testing, smartphone-based testing, virtual reality, and biometrics, among others.
Additional key topics related to technology include improved access to care for rural and underserved patient populations, as well as psychometric validation data for our neuropsychological tests. These issues have been a major focus of my clinical work and my research program, where I have multiple publications and a VA Career Development Award centered on remote, digital methods of neuropsychological practice for diverse patient populations. For example, I served as Guest Editor of a 2022 Special Issue in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology: “Neuropsychology from a distance: Psychometric properties and clinical utility of remote neurocognitive tests.” The purpose of the issue was to synthesize prior literature and present new empirical data pertaining to teleneuropsychology, web-based computerized testing, smartphone-based cognitive testing, and other innovative methods.
As the AACN Board considers ways to support its constituency and the neuropsychology community at large, through projects, initiatives, position papers, and other mechanisms, I would be glad to bring my interest and knowledge of these issues to bear to help move our field forward. I am deeply passionate about improving neuropsychology and I believe the Technology Slate would be a strong fit for my background and interests. Thank you so much for your consideration.
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