UMKC Clinical Neuropsychology Lab
Our Team
Jared Bruce, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics
Director of Psychiatric Research
School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Research Interests: Neuropsychology, multiple sclerosis, sports concussion, treatment of cognitive disorders, adherence to complex medication schedules, traumatic brain injury, obesity, dementia, delirium, functional brain imaging.
Education
2005-2007 - Post-Doctoral Neuropsychology Fellow, Brown Medical School
2000-2005 - Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
2004-2005 - Clinical Psychology Intern, VA Western New York Health Care System
Hometown: Fort FairField, ME
Carrie Kriz, M.S.
Senior Research Assistant
Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics
Department of Psychiatry
School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Carrie joined the lab in Fall of 2022 and primarily works with research in the Department of Psychiatry. She worked at the UMKC School of Pharmacy coordinating psychiatric clinical trials for 8 years prior to joining the lab. She is a graduate of the UMKC Bioinformatics Program, her thesis examined prices of antipsychotic medications across the Kansas City Metro. She is currently overseeing several projects within the UMKC Psychiatry Department as well as assisting with a diabetes treatment study.
Education
2013 – BA in Psychology from University of Missouri – Columbia
2018 – MS in Bioinformatics from University of Missouri – Kansas City
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Jade Robichaud, B.A
robichaudj@umkc.edu
Research Coordinator
Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics
School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Jade joined the lab in fall 2021 as a volunteer research assistant and is now a research coordinator. She is a UMKC Alumni. Research projects that she has been a part of are measuring inhibition controls to food cues using a mouse-tracking paradigm, telehealth obesity interventions for patients with MS, assessing long-haul COVID outcomes, an at-home concussion wellness intervention, and diabetic control using contingency management and motivational interviewing. Jade is interested in Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology.
Education:
2018-2020 - Associates of Arts from Johnson County Community College
2020-2022 - B.A. Psychology from the University of Missouri- Kansas City
Hometown: Shawnee, KS
Julia S. Cozart, M.A.
jsp3b@mail.umkc.edu
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics
Department of Psychology
School of Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Julia is a sixth-year in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She is currently a psychology intern at the Charleston Consortium. Her dissertation project is examining changes in a biomarker of neurodegeneration following participation in a behavioral weight loss intervention for people with MS. Previous projects she's worked on include an online treatment (iCBT) program for depression in MS, the development of a treatment decision model in MS, and the standardization and normative data of the symbol digit modalities test (SDMT).
Education
2011 – 2015 - B.A. in Biology, Psychology, and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry from William Jewell College
2021 - M.A. in Psychology from University of Missouri-Kansas City
2024 - Expected Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Missouri- Kansas City
Hometown: Fayetteville, AR
Nikhil Vaid, M.A.
nvaid@kansascity.edu
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate
Department of Psychology
Kansas City University
Nikhil joined the lab in summer 2021 as a volunteer research assistant. He is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology PsyD program at Kansas City University. Nikhil has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from UMKC, where he was involved in genetics research. Nikhil’s primary interest is in Traumatic Brain Injury, neurodegenerative disorders and their effect on cognitive functioning, and clinical practice within the field of Neuropsychology. He has previous experience as a practicum student in community health and inpatient psychiatric hospital settings.
Education
2013-2017 – B.S. Biological Sciences from University of Missouri-Kansas City
2019-2021 – M.A. Clinical Psychology from Kansas City University
2019- 2024 – Psy.D from Kansas City University
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Ryan Lehr, M.A.
ryanlehr@kansascity.edu
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate
Department of Psychology
Kansas City University
Ryan joined the lab in Fall 2021 as a volunteer research assistant. He is a fifth-year doctoral candidate at Kansas City University in the Clinical Psychology program. His previous research has included: examining emotional regulation strategies to failure and syllabus policies’ effects on student perceptions of teacher empathy. Ryan is currently at an outpatient site for his therapy practicum year and conducted psychoeducation evaluations in the North Kansas City School District last year.
Education
2019 - B.A Psychology from Simpson College
2021 - M.A. Clinical Psychology from Kansas City University
2019-2024 - PsyD Clinical Psychology from Kansas City University
Analyssa Escudero, M.S.
Analyssa.Escudero@kansascity.edu
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate
Department of Psychology
Kansas City University
Analyssa joined the lab in summer 2022 as a volunteer research assistant. She is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology PsyD program at Kansas City University. Analyssa has a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Psychology with an Emphasis in Health Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Analyssa’s primary interests are in Pediatrics, Pediatric Neuropsychology, Health Psychology, and Sports Psychology. She is currently gaining experience as a practicum student in a private practice setting administering diagnostic assessments to young children, adolescence, and adults for ADHD and Autism. She is also gaining experience in conducting Bariatric Evaluations for adults seeking weight loss surgery.
Education
2015 – 2017– Gained pre-requisites from Gateway Community College
2017 - 2019 – B.S. in Psychology from Grand Canyon University
2019 - 2022 – M.S. in Psychology with an Emphasis in Health Psychology from Grand Canyon University
2022 - 2027 – Psy.D from Kansas City University
Hometown: Silver City, NM
Kole Wagner, M.A.
Kole.Wagener@kansascity.edu
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate
Department of Psychology
Kansas City University
Second-year doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology PsyD program at Kansas City University. Kole has a B.A. in Psychological Sciences from William Jewell College. Kole was involved on the research of Wonder and Awe with Dr. Patricia Schoenrad at William Jewell College. Kole’s primary interest is in neurodegenerative disorders and clinical practice within the field of neuropsychology. He has previous experience as a practicum student in an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting.
Education
2017 - 2021 - B.A. Psychological Sciences from William Jewell College
2022 - 2023 - M.A. Clinical Psychology From Kansas City University
2022 - 2027 - PsyD from Kansas City University
Hometown: Grain Valley, MO
Joanie Thelen, Ph.D.
Joan.Huebner@uhkc.org
Clinical Health Psychologist
University Health Lakewood Medical Pavilion
Department of Community and Family Medicine
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Previous projects include: secondary influences affecting neuropsychological testing in multiple sclerosis (MS); polypharmacy effects on fatigue and objective vs perceived cognition in MS; medication adherence in MS; standardization and normative data on neuropsychological tests; computerized cognitive training in neurologic populations (e.g., MS and veterans with TBI+PTSD); program evaluation of the National Hockey League concussion protocol. Her own research interests include cognitive & emotional symptoms in MS and other neurologic populations; psychiatric factors affecting neuropsychological performance; assessment in health psychology contexts.
Education
2009 - B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kansas
2013 - M.A. in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City
2022- Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Hometown: Lincoln, NE