Shelley Peery | Dr. Elizabeth Choi | Saskia DeVaughn | Miriam Krumholz | Johanna Rengifo| Naomi Kaswan
Shelley Peery, PhD
Executive Director
(She/Her/Hers)
Shelley Peery, PhD is the founder and executive director at San Francisco Neuropsychology, PC (SFN), an institute for cross cultural neuropsychological assessment across the lifespan. Dr. Peery maintains clinical and forensic caseloads, teaches, and collaborates on SFN research. A graduate of the Neuropsychology subprogram at City University of New York, Dr. Peery is bilingual in Spanish and evaluates individuals of all languages. She established SFN in 2009 to provide culturally competent evaluations and training. SFN staff train post-doctoral fellows and a class of about 5 practicum students. Dr. Peery taught at the University of California, Berkeley Extension, and the Universidad Del Valle in Guatemala City, Guatemala. She has chaired the Diversity Committee of NAN, co-chaired the Social Justice Committee of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS), and served as HNS Secretary.
Dr. Peery began focusing on cross cultural assessment early in her graduate training and very soon, recognized the lag in access to care that her Spanish-speaking patients’ experienced. Dr. Peery is passionate about improving Spanish-speakers’ access to culturally competent neuropsychological services.
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology – The Graduate Center, City University of New York
- Pre-doctoral internship – Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Post-doctoral fellowship –The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University (NYU) Medical Center
- A Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology
- Recognized for her community service by the San Francisco Psychological Association and the American Red Cross
Links:
Google Scholar References
Dissertation available at Amazon.com
Introduction to Neuropsychology Syllabus
Dr. Elizabeth Choi, PhD
(She/Her/Hers)
Dr. Elizabeth Choi is a trilingual (Cantonese, Mandarin and English) licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Neuropsychology serving adult and older adult patients. She obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Neuropsychology at Palo Alto University. She completed her internship training at NYU Langone Rusk Rehabilitation and postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at University of California San Francisco (UCSF)/Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG) Department of Neuropsychology. Her doctoral research focused on the association between biomarkers (heart-rate variability) with cognitive and emotional changes in treatment-resistant depression patients undergoing the accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation intervention at Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. She also has professional work experience and consulting neuropsychological work in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Currently, Dr. Choi provides adult neuropsychological evaluations for individuals with neurological conditions (e.g. traumatic brain injury, stroke, epilepsy, brain tumor, neurodegenerative diseases), medical issues and psychiatric disorders. She performs testing for ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Learning Disability. She also carries forensic caseloads, and has experience conducting medico-legal evaluations in Chinese.
Dr. Choi is a member of the Asian Neuropsychological Association, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40) of the American Psychological Association, and Cultural SIG of the International Neuropsychological Society.
Saskia DeVaughn, PhD
(She/Her/Hers)
Dr. DeVaughn is a bilingual (English and German) Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist and is licensed in the States of California. She earned her doctorate at Palo Alto University with a major in Neuropsychology. Her predoctoral internship with an emphasis on Geropsychology was at the Rocky Mountain Regional Medical VA center specializing in dementia care. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of New Mexico, with training in outpatient neuropsychological assessment of adults and children from a wide referral base including neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, and internal medicine.
Dr. DeVaughn has a strong training background in the assessment and
management of older adults and neurodegenerative disease. Her published research focused on memory patterns across neurodegenerative disease including Alzheimer’s disease, semantic dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and older adults with HIV. In addition, Dr. DeVaughn served as a consultant for a level 4 Epilepsy Center. She is experienced in clinical brain fMRI studies for lateralization of language dominance in epilepsy patients and intra-operative language and motor mapping in tumor patients undergoing awake brain surgery. Dr. DeVaughn also provides clinical interventions at an Acute Rehabilitation Setting to patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, autoimmune conditions, and patients who underwent DBS.
Dr. DeVaughn serves on the Board at the Northern California Neuropsychology Forum, and is a member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, Hispanic Neuropsychological Society, and Queer Neuropsychological Society. In her free time, she teaches German as Second Language to elementary school aged children, enjoys trail running, and volunteers abroad.
Miriam Krumholz, PsyD
(She/Her/Hers)
Dr. Miriam Krumholz is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in Neuropsychology. She completed her Psychology Doctorate with a focus in neuropsychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Washington D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pitzer College. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Omaha VA and her post-doctoral fellowship in lifespan Neuropsychology at Stony Brook Medicine.
Dr. Krumholz specializes in working with people across the lifespan, from childhood through older adulthood. She has experience working with patients with a wide range of conditions including neurodevelopmental disorders, mild cognitive impairment, neurodegenerative disorders, movement disorders, stroke, complex medical diagnoses, traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, behavioral disorders, and psychological/psychiatric disorders. Her clinical research interests center around attentional processes, mindfulness meditation, and health neuropsychology.
Dr. Krumholz is a member of the International Neuropsychology Society, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, and the American Psychological Association’s Division 40 (Neuropsychology). She looks forward to becoming more involved in the Bay Area’s local neuropsychology groups and communities.
Johanna Rengifo, PhD
(She/Her/Hers)
Dr. Johanna Rengifo is a bilingual (Spanish / English) Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Neuropsychology. She is also a certified brain injury specialist (CBIS). She completed her Ph.D. at Palo Alto University, with a double major in neuropsychology and clinical neuroscience in women’s health, in conjunction with Stanford School of Medicine, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Tampa VA and three post-doctoral fellowships in Gero-Neuropsychology at the Miami VA, in Rehabilitation-Neuropsychology at Tampa General Hospital, and in Clinical Neuropsychology at UCSF / Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
Dr. Rengifo specializes in working with adults and older adults with a wide range of conditions, including medical/neurological diagnoses (e.g., epilepsy, concussion, brain tumor, stroke), traumatic brain injuries, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease), and comorbid psychiatric conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, PTSD). She also conducts immigration and political asylum evaluations. Her clinical and research interests include Latino older adults, medical neuropsychology, and positive / health neuropsychology.
Dr. Rengifo received the Mentorship in Cultural Neuropsychology Award for 2021 from the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society, of which she is an active member, and she has in the past served as co-chair of their scientific conference. She is also a member of the California Psychological Association, American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, National Academy of Neuropsychology, and the Northern California Neuropsychology Forum.
Naomi Kaswan, PhD
(She/They)
Dr. Kaswan obtained their MS in Clinical Psychology and PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Major Area of Study in Neuropsychology at Palo Alto University, and a BS in Biopsychology, with a minor in Applied Psychology, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Kaswan completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology at the San Mateo Medical Center providing neuropsychological assessment and brief-intervention services to adults and older adults, often utilizing certified medical interpreters to provide services in non-English languages (e.g., Spanish, Burmese, Arabic, etc.).
She completed a health psychology internship at the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center in Huntington, WV, focusing on neuropsychological assessment and psychotherapeutic interventions for Appalachian Veterans. Dr. Kaswan’s pre-doctoral training also included working with interdisciplinary teams in schools, community mental health centers, and medical facilities to provide culturally informed neuropsychological assessment and therapeutic interventions to populations across the lifespan.
Her dissertation examined the utility of neuropsychological validity assessment measures within a youth athlete population. Currently, Dr. Kaswan specializes in adult neuropsychological evaluations for adults with neurological conditions (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, brain tumor, neurodegenerative conditions, movement disorders, epilepsy), ADHD, ASD, complex medical backgrounds, and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Kaswan is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), International Neuropsychological Society (INS), National Academy of Neuropsychology, Inc. (NAN), Northern California Neuropsychological Forum (NCNF), American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology (AAPdN), Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS), and Queer Neuropsychological Society (QNS).