Episode 4: Career Path Insights: Navigating the Landscape of Neuropsychology

Episode 4 | Career Path Insights: Navigating the Landscape of Neuropsychology

"Career Path Insights: Navigating the Landscape of Neuropsychology" delves into the intricacies of the education and career paths in Neuropsychology. Dr. Hirst and Dr. Sundaram Patel reflect on their professional journeys and discuss balancing patient care with research. They provide insight into the transition from internship to postdoc, offering guidance for those interested in the field. Throughout the episode, they address common misconceptions surrounding their profession and delve into the nuances of professional licensing while sharing their perspectives on the future landscape of neuropsychology.

**Join us on an inspiring journey with 'Talking Mental Health Careers' brought to you by Palo Alto University and CONCEPT, its Division of Continuing & Professional Studies**

About Our Host

Afik Faerman, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral scholar and an incoming NIMH T32 fellow at Stanford University. He completed his clinical training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Baylor College of Medicine and earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology with emphasis in neuropsychology from Palo Alto University. His research centers on the modulation of consciousness and its clinical relevance. His work has been acknowledged and supported by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Sleep Research Society (SRS), the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH), the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH), and more. He is the Membership Chair of the APA Division 30 and the past chair of the Student Committee at the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC).

About Our Guests

Guest 1 | Rayna Hirst, PhD

Dr. Hirst completed her undergraduate education at Penn State University and her master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, with a focus on Neuropsychology and Addictions. Dr. Rayna Hirst's BRAIN lab (Behavioral Research and Assessment In Neuropsychology) conducts research in brain-behavior relationships and neuropsychological assessment. Current research topics include the influence of chronic marijuana use on cognition, the neuropsychological effects of sport-related concussions, and factors that influence the valid and reliable neuropsychological assessment of patients. She is also on the boards of several committees for the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, and sees clinical patients on a regular basis through a private practice.

Guest 2 | Saranya Sundaram Patel, PhD

Saranya Sundaram Patel, PhD is a clinical neuropsychologist at OneRehab in Dallas, TX, and adjunct faculty at Emory University of Medicine, where she completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in the adult/geriatric neuropsychology track in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. She holds a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from UT Southwestern and earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with an emphasis in neuropsychology, at Palo Alto University. Clinically, she specializes in assessment and cognitive rehabilitation with adult and geriatric individuals presenting with neurological and neurodegenerative conditions.