I’m a pediatric psychologist who specializes in caring for children and adolescents with epilepsy and their families. I serve as the clinical psychologist for the Division of Neurology’s New Onset Seizure Clinic. I also lead several psychologists within the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Cincinnati Children’s, where we work with our medical, pharmacy, nursing and social work colleagues to provide comprehensive epilepsy care. Our goal is for the child or adolescent to be seizure free, with no side effects from seizure mediations, and that they have the best possible quality of life.
I was drawn to my career by my volunteer work as a teenager, where I saw the resiliency of children and their families. I have studied child, caregiver, and family functioning and their impact on pediatric chronic disease management across a variety of pediatric chronic conditions. These include obesity, cancer, organ transplants, inflammatory bowel disease and type 1 diabetes.
My approach to patient care is to treat the whole child or adolescent, along with their family, to optimize their functioning and help them live their best lives. Our team is here to serve all families and to tailor their care to meet their individual needs.
I was honored to receive the 2016 Society of Pediatric Psychology Carolyn Schroeder Clinical Practice Award. I also received the 2016 O’Grady Residency Outstanding Teaching Award.
In addition to helping patients, I’m involved in research. My colleagues and I are investigating the behavioral health conditions linked to epilepsy. We strive to minimize their occurrence and impact on quality of life.
When I’m not at work, I enjoy all sports with my kids. I also like to walk and run with my dog, Goldie.