Neuropsychology

Sara S. Sparrow, Ph.D., received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. Dr. Sparrow is Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist at Yale University's Child Study Center and Department of Psychology. Her mentor, Dr. Paul Satz, attended the ceremony.

Rus Bauer, Ph.D., ABPP/cn has been named Chair of the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology.

Michael Larson, M.S., has been awarded a predoctoral national research and service award (NRSA, F31) from NINDS for his grant "Cognitive Control Disruption in Traumatic Brain Injury". His funding began January 2006 and will provide research and training support until he begins his internship in August 2007. His faculty mentor is Dr. Perlstein.

Faculty and students from UF's department of Clinical and Health Psychology gave over 31 posters and presentations at the February 2006 meeting of the International Neuropsychology Society in Boston, MA. Pictures from this meeting can be viewed at: http://www.phhp.ufl.edu/chp/chp_clips/whatsnews/February2006.htm

Emily King has received the APA Division 40 (Neuropsychology) award for best student research paper in Cognitive Neuroscience for 2006. The paper, based on her master's thesis, is titled "Relationship among virtual navigation, self-report measures of spatial ability, and psychometrically defined spatial ability" and will be presented at the APA meeting in New Orleans in August 2006. Her mentor is Rus Bauer.

Four UF neuropsychology graduate students have been awarded competitive fellowships to attend the 2006 Vivian Smith Summer Institute of the International Neuropsychological Society. The topic of this year's program is "Neuropsychology accross the Lifespan" and is being held from June 19-July 14 in Xylocastro, Greece. The students receiving this award are: Kimberly Miller, M.S. (4th year), Lindsey Kirsch-Darrow, M.S. (3rd year), Utaka Springer, M.S. (3rd year), and Sarah McCann (1st year).

Lindsey Kirsch's research, "Dissociating Apathy and Depression in Parkinson's Disease" was featured as one of the "highlights" of the 2005 American Academy of Neurology meeting in Miami, FL. Only the top 1-2% of all posters at the AAN are selected to be highlights. This poster was based on her master's thesis. She is mentored by Dr. Bowers and Dr. Okun.

Sarah Cook, M.S., has been awarded an "AARP Scholars Program" scholarship pf $10,000 to support her research on neurocognitive aspects of older drivers. Thirty awards were granted out of 170 national submissions. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Marsiske.

Mohan Krishnan was one of 5 student poster award winners at the 2005 Natioanl Academy of Neuropsychology in Orlando, FL. The poster was titled, "Increased Intra-Subtest Scatter on the Wechsler Abrreviated Scale of Intelligence as a Characteristic of Mild Cognitive Impairment."

Dr. Catherine Price is the recipient of a New Investigator Research Grant from the American Alzheimer's Association. This is a 2 year grant to study the effects of surgery on cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer's disease. Her grant, "Non-Cardiac Surgery and Alzheimer's Disease: Cortisol and Cognitive Decline", will begin August 2005.

Dr. Russell Bauer, Professor and Associate of Chair, has been elected as President of Division 40 (Neuropsychology) of the American Psychological Association. His term runs from August 2005 through August 2006.

Mabel Lopez, Ph.D. has been awarded a 2 year post-doctoral research and training grant as part of an NIH/NINDS diversity supplement to an ongoing R01, Masked Faces in Parkinson's Disease: Mechanism and Treatment. Her grant begins August 1, 2005. She is mentored by Dr. Dawn Bowers.

Kim Miller, M.S., has been awarded a predoctoral national research and service award (NRSA, F31) from NIH to study emotional reactivity in Parkinson's disease. Her grant, "Parkinson's disease, psychophysiology, and the Amygdala" began July 1, 2005 and will provide research and training support for 2 years. Dr. Bowers is her mentor.

Kim Miller, M.S., has received the 2005 Manfried Meier scholarship for excellence in Neuropsychology from the American Psychological Foundation.