Director

Paul T. Cirino, Ph.D.

Dr. Cirino completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Houston, and his APA/Division 40 clinical internship at the Arizona Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson, in 1996. Subsequently he was the Kirk Dornbush postdoctoral fellow in developmental neuropsychology at Georgia State University. From 1998-2000, Dr. Cirino was a staff neuropsychologist in the Department of Neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. During that time, he was also appointed as Instructor in Medical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Cirino was subsequently a Clinical Research Psychologist and Associate Director of the Regents Center for Learning Disorders.

Dr. Cirino returned to the University of Houston as faculty in 2002 where he joined the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics. He was awarded tenure in 2013 in the Department of Psychology, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2018. Dr. Cirino has been continuously funded with grants from NIH, IES, and NSF for over 20 years. His grants and published work reflects interests in academic areas (reading and math), neurocognitive function (particularly executive function, attention, and processing speed), and his work examines both typical and neurodevelopmental populations. He has over 130 peer-reviewed Journal publications; his h-index is 55, his i-10 index is over 110, and his research has been cited over 12,500 times. Dr. Cirino has edited two Special Issues (on math disability, on executive function), sits on multiple editorial boards, and is the former Editor-in-Chief of Learning and Individual Differences. He has been continuously licensed since 1998, and had specific appointments with several regional and national neuropsychological organizations, including 15 years on the board of the Houston Neuropsychological Society. 

In addition to research, Dr. Cirino is the director of the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic, which provides comprehensive evaluations for children with cognitive, learning, and behavioral issues. The clinic offers a connection between Dr. Cirino’s research and applied/practical issues experienced by children and their families. The clinic runs on a sliding scale, and serves as a practicum experience for his own and other child-focused graduate students.

Dr. Cirino is a diehard Cleveland football and baseball fan. He loves music of (most) all kinds, playing guitar, cooking, hanging with family, reading, and traveling. He is an avid walker, a terrible golfer (though enjoys this), and plays softball in a league.

Samantha van Terheyden, B.A., B.S. (Joined DNL 2024)

Samantha is a first-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, and received her B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland in 2021. After graduation, she worked as a research coordinator at the Children's National Hospital Division of Neuropsychology. There, she supported research projects in concussion, brain tumors, and Neurofibromatosis Type 1, including a study examining the long-term effects of craniospinal radiation in brain tumor patients. Her current research interests center on the role of cognitive functions, such as attention and executive function, on the development of math and reading skills. In her free time, Samantha enjoys weightlifting, reading, and cooking new recipes. 

Master’s Thesis (at UH, in progress): Check back soon!

Juliana Wall, B.S. (Joined DNL 2023)

Juliana is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. Originally from Manitou Springs, Colorado, she earned her B.A. in Psychology from Boston University in 2021. After graduation, she worked as a research coordinator at Boston Children's Hospital in the Lab of Translational Neuroimaging, focusing on the neural mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders and fMRI-based interventions for ADHD. Currently, her research interests center on the impact of cognitive processes on learning outcomes. Her thesis explores the structure of processing speed and its impact on math achievement in college students, and she is also working on manuscripts on related topics, including intraindividual variability in reaction time. In addition to her research, she is working with Dr. Cirino in the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic to provide neuropsychological evaluations to children and adolescents with a range of academic and cognitive concerns. In her free time, Juliana enjoys photography, learning foreign languages, and visiting restaurants and museums around Houston.

Master’s Thesis (at UH, in progress): The structure of processing speed and its impact on math in college students (proposed, October, 2024)

Cristina Boada, M.A. (Joined DNL 2022)

Cristina is a third-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She is from Denver, Colorado and received her B.S. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary in 2019. Following graduation, she worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado in the eXtraordinarY Kids Clinic as a research coordinator. There, she worked on several studies examining children with sex chromosome aneuploidy (e.g. Klinefelter syndrome, XYY, Trisomy X, etc.) and other comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders. After 2 years in that role, Cristina began graduate school and received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2022. Her current research interests involve exploring attention, executive functions, language development, and learning disabilities. In addition to her thesis, which focuses on the cognitive and non-cognitive factors of math performance in community college students, she has worked with Dr. Cirino in the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic to provide neuropsychological evaluations to children and adolescents with a range of academic and cognitive concerns. Following graduate school, her goal is to become a pediatric clinical neuropsychologist. In her free time, Cristina enjoys singing, skiing (during trips home to Colorado), spending time with friends, and exploring new places around Houston.

Master’s Thesis (at UH, in progress): Cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of norm-referenced and everyday math performance in community college students (proposed August, 2024)

Cassidy Salentine, B.A. (Joined DNL 2021)

Cassidy is a fourth-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 2018 and then worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Chicago. In this role, she contributed to studies investigating verbal and nonverbal language development in children, including research on how gesturing during math lessons affects neural activity during problem solving. Her current research interests include measurement, comorbidity in neurocognitive disorders, and individual differences in cognitive abilities. Cassidy is currently working on her dissertation, which explores the combined and unique effects of affect, motivation, and cognition on math test performance. Additionally, she has completed clinical training at the UH Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic, TIRR Memorial Hermann, and UTHealth McGovern Medical School.

Master’s Thesis (defended November 2023): Overlapping cognitive predictors for math and writing achievement

Abby Farrell, B.S. (Joined DNL 2020)

Abby is currently on her clinical internship at the University of Chicago, with a concentration in neuropsychology. She received her B.S. in psychology and biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018. Following graduation, Abby worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, she coordinated studies on pediatric bipolar disorder and administered cognitive assessments to children and adults with a variety of psychiatric concerns, first sparking her interest in neuropsychology. Abby’s current research interests involve the intersections of executive functioning and attentional processes in learning disorders and difficulties. She is currently working on manuscripts on related topics within the lab and with outside collaborators, and just completed her thesis focusing on the interactions of executive functioning, attentional processes, basic abilities, and outcomes of reading. Abby also works with Dr. Cullen Gibbs at TIRR Memorial Hermann providing neuropsychological assessments to children and adolescents with a variety of concerns, and with Dr. Petra Duran at Texas Children’s Hospital conducting a brief behavioral intervention for preschool-aged children. In her free time, Abby enjoys running at the numerous green parks in Houston and playing sand volleyball.

Doctoral Dissertation (proposal defended October 2023): How mind wandering relates to reading in a second language

Master’s Thesis (defended August 2022): Interactions of Reading Skill, Working Memory, and Mind Wandering on Reading Comprehension