Alumni
Aliza Jaffe Sass is a recent graduate PhD student from the School Psychology program. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2015, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology and Education Studies. Aliza’s research interests include assessment and intervention for ADHD in emerging adulthood, as well as the promotion of integrated behavioral health services for children with chronic medical and behavioral health conditions. Aliza worked as a pediatric psychology extern at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nemours/A I DuPont Hospital for Children. She did pre-doctoral internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for the 2020-2021 year and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Contact: arj215@lehigh.edu
Chelsea Busch is a recent graduate PhD student from the School Psychology program. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2010, where she earned her a dual bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Creative Nonfiction. Chelsea’s research interests include substance use behaviors in young adults with ADHD as well as the integration of psychology services into pediatric primary care in underserved patient populations. Chelsea completed her dissertation examining the relationship between psychological distress and substance use behaviors of college students with and without ADHD. She was a pediatric psychology extern at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. She completed her pre-doctoral psychology internship at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children during the 2020-2021 academic year and her post-doctoral fellowship in early childhood and integrated primary care. Contact: chz213@lehigh.edu
Kristen Kipperman is a sixth year doctoral student in the School Psychology program specializing in pediatric psychology. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2012, where she earned her bachelor’s of science degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Development. Kristen’s research interests include parent engagement in intervention for children and adolescents with ADHD. Her dissertation is using a person-centered approach to identify profiles within families participating in a school-based intervention for adolescents with ADHD. It aims to determine whether profile membership and/or implementation fidelity predicts parent engagement in intervention. She hopes to expand this area of interest into pediatric populations experiencing chronic medical conditions. Kristen worked as a pediatric psychology extern at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children and completed predoctoral psychology internship at MetroHealth Medical Center during the 2020-2021 academic. She is now working on her post-doctoral fellowship at MetroHealth. Contact: klk415@
Molly Daffner-Deming is a recent graduate from the School Psychology program. Her clinical and research interests include evidence-based and family-based interventions for children with neurodevelopmental, disruptive behavior, and anxiety disorders. She is also interested in exploring how to best support children and their families during major developmental transition periods. For her master’s thesis, she investigated the efficacy of a sibling-mediated intervention for increasing positive social behaviors of children with ADHD. For her dissertation, Molly examined the influence of background characteristics, pre-college achievement, and college integration variables on the academic functioning of college freshmen with ADHD. She completed an APA-accredited predoctoral psychology internship at Harvard Medical School/Judge Baker Children's Center and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Kristen Stack (formerly Fletcher) graduated with her B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University in 2013 and will be graduating from the School Psychology program in 2020. Kristen’s research and professional interests focus on academic achievement and motivation among students with disabilities. Kristen is currently completing her internship at Pennsbury School District in Bucks County, PA.
Contact: ksf214@lehigh.edu; kristen.f.stack@gmail.com
Brittany Kennedy (formerly Pollack) graduated with her PhD from the School Psychology program in 2017. She previously attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where she graduated in 2012 with a dual bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Family Science. Her research and professional interests include facilitating school success for students with externalizing and internalizing behaviors, as well as bridging the gaps between school, home, and community services. Currently, Brittany is splitting her time between two positions, including a school-based position at CORA Services in Philadelphia and a clinic-based position at Growth Opportunity Center in Southampton, PA.
Contact: brittanypollack12@gmail.com
Katrina (Hermetet) Lindsay graduated with her PhD from the School Psychology program in 2015. During her time at Lehigh, she participated in the Pediatric School Psychology Leadership grant. She previously received her Masters degree in Cognitive Development in the Psychology Department at Lehigh University, and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Mount Union College (Summa cum Laude). She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her pediatric psychology fellowship at Akron Children’s Hospital. She is now a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Ohio, as well as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Her research interests include the incorporation of school psychologists in pediatric settings, academic success for children with Tourette Disorder and LGBTQIA service provision. She is the co-president of the Pediatric School Psychology interest group at NASP. Currently, Katrina serves as the clinical director of the School Success Clinic, as well as the Tic & Tourette Service at Akron Children’s Hospital (Akron, Ohio). In April 2020, she will begin a new role as director of the Pediatric Psychology Fellowship.
Contact: klindsay@akronchildrens.org
Maria E. Golden (formerly Hoff) graduated with her PhD from the School Psychology program in 2018 following a pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric and Clinical Psychology with Geisinger Medical Center. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Geisinger in Integrated Primary Care and the Sleep Clinic. She previously attended the University of Pittsburgh where she graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Developmental Psychology. She then attended Millersville University where she graduated in 2014 with a master’s in Psychology and Certification in School Psychology following an internship with the School District of Philadelphia. She is a nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP). Her research and professional interests include facilitating home, school, and medical care coordination and consultation, integrating behavioral health services for children with chronic medical conditions and behavioral health needs, and increasing access to evidence based care and promotion of adherence to interventions/recommendations. Currently, Maria is a pediatric psychologist with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the Acquired Autonomic Dysfunction Program.
Contact: goldenme@email.chop.edu
Matthew J. Gormley graduated with his Ph.D. in School Psychology in 2016 following a pre-doctoral internship at the Munroe Meyer Institute in Omaha, Nebraska. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Integrated Primary Care at Geisinger Medical Center. His research focuses on developmentally appropriate interventions that build collaboration between families, schools, and healthcare settings to support students with ADHD across their academic careers (e.g., elementary, secondary, and post-secondary). Currently, Matthew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology department at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Nebraska.
Contact: mgormley2@unl.edu
Georgia D. Bomgardner (formerly Belk) graduated with her Ph.D. in School Psychology in May 2019 after completing a pre-doctoral internship at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, PA. She then completed a post-doctoral internship (finishing in 2020) with the same organization, where she serves as a secondary school psychologist with responsibilities including mental health support and programming; consultation with students, teachers, and families around academics, mental health, and behavior; crisis management; and community outreach. Georgia is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, state certified in PA, and is working toward state licensure in PA. Her current research endeavours are community and action based, including collective impact work with Resilient Lehigh Valley to promote Trauma Informed approaches within the community. Additionally, Georgia serves as an adjunct professor for Lehigh’s counseling masters’ program, where she currently teaches Inclusion of Individuals with Disabilities.
Contact: georgiabomgardner@gmail.com
Beth A. Custer graduated with her Ph.D. in special education in May of 2018. Prior to this, she earned a dual Bachelor of Science in elementary education and special education in 2004 from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and completed her Master’s degree in special education from Alvernia in 2009. Her research focuses on implementing positive behavioral interventions to improve outcomes for youth who exhibit challenging behavior. Currently, Beth is a Training and Consultation Specialist at The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities. She promotes the use of positive behavioral supports through training and technical assistance with schools involved in the NJ Positive Behavior Supports in Schools project, which is a partnership between the New Jersey State Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and The Boggs Center. She also is an adjunct faculty member in the special education department at Monmouth University.
Contact: bethacuster@gmail.com
Kristina Puzino graduated with her PhD from the School Psychology program in 2018 following a pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric and Clinical Psychology with Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center within the Sleep Research and Treatment Center. She previously attended Siena College where she graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She then attended Saint Joseph’s University where she graduated in 2013 with a Master’s of Science degree in Experimental Psychology. Her research focuses on the assessment and treatment needs of youth with coexisting neurodevelopmental and sleep disorders, with an emphasis on developing and evaluating evidence-based behavioral sleep interventions. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, state-certified in PA, and is working toward her license as a clinical psychologist. Kristina will soon begin her new role as an Assistant Professor at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health as well as the Sleep Research and Treatment Center.
Contact: kpuzino@pennstatehealth.psu.
Allyse A. Hetrick graduated with her Ph.D. in Special Education in May 2018. She graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in Elementary and Special Education in 2007 and earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from Lehigh University in 2010. Her research interests include effective interventions that reduce behavior problems and promote academic success and emotional well-being. Currently, Allyse serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. She is also a Project Coordinator for BEST in CLASS – Elementary, an IES-funded study investigating the effects of a Tier 2 intervention designed to enhance and support teachers’ use of effective instructional practices that can help prevent children’s challenging behaviors and support learning.
Contact: allyse.hetrick@coe.ufl.edu