Training the next generation of health professionals is a fundamental aspect of the Penn Memory Center’s mission. PMC trainees receive the highest level of experience and support. Launch your career at PMC.
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology interns are trained to administer and interpret cognitive testing for PMC’s clinical and research studies. Interns may have the opportunity to collect data for their own dissertation or thesis studies at PMC. Many trainees go on to complete four-year programs in clinical psychology.
Keisha April, JD, PhD, is an assistant professor at New York University.
Dahlia Kamel, MS, is a clinical trials coordinator at the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center.
Hyun Kim, MS, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in psychiatry at Columbia University.
Rachel Mis is completing a PhD in clinical psychology at Temple University.
Emma Rhodes, MA, PhD, completed both a clinical rotation and her dissertation data collection at PMC. Dr. Rhodes is a clinical neuropsychologist at Penn and is an instructor at the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center.
Jillian Tessier is a postdoctoral fellow in clinical neuropsychology at San Francisco VA Medical Center.
Katherine Hackett is a doctoral student in clinical psychology with a focus in neuropsychology at Temple University.
Blair Scribner-Weiss is a neuropsychology fellow at Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center.
Nicole Gulkis is a a postdoc at the Philadelphia VAMC.
Kassondra Bertulis is a postdoc at the Bedford VAMC in Massachusetts.
Social Work
The social work internship program at the Penn Memory Center is led by Felicia Greenfield, MSW, LCSW, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Policy and Practice and the executive director of PMC. This program prepares social service students for careers in geriatric social work. Interns play an integral role in the operations of social work at PMC and carry out jobs such as creating and leading support groups, programs, and research projects as well as providing clinical services to patients.
Stephanie Vogelman, MSW, is a social worker in the department of general medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Kelli Sloan, MSW, is a social worker at PMC.
Anna Kozlowska, MS, MSS, interned while completing the master of social service program at Bryn Mawr College.
Alexandra Acaba, MSW, was a social work intern at PMC and Penn’s Department of Cognitive and General Neurology. Acaba is now the manager and director of operations of Drs. Berrocal & Associates medical practice in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Clarise Ballesteros, MSW, LSW, is a child and family mental health therapist at Crozer Health in Delaware County, PA.
McEllen Lawrence, MSW, is pursuing a PsyD in clinical psychology with a focus in geropsychology at Williams James University.
Nora Garland, MSW, is an outpatient social worker in Penn Neurology.
Laura Vargas, MSW, is an outpatient social worker at the Philadelphia County Medical Examiner Office.
Kate Lietz, MSW
Sarah Bujno and Matthew Volpe assist in leading the PMC program Creative Expression Through Music.
Sarah Bujno, MSW, MPH, conducted research on ways to improve the caregiving experience during her time as a PMC social work intern. Bujno is currently a research project manager in bio-behavioral health sciences at the Penn School of Nursing.
Matthew Volpe, MSW, LCSWA, participated in the social work internship program in 2018. Volpe is a clinical counselor at Workplace Options.
Cynthia Clyburn, MSW, LSW, was hired by the Penn Department of Neurology as an outpatient social worker upon graduating Penn.
Lauren Zelouf, MSW, LWS, is a social worker at the Penn Huntington’s Disease Center.
Communications
The Penn Memory Center Health and Science Communications Internship program provides interns with first-hand health and science communications experience that includes but is not limited to social media content creation and management, web design and management, news writing, creative long-form content production, graphic design, and community outreach.
Sharnita Midgett, MPH, completed the Health and Science Communications Internship in 2018 while attending La Salle University’s master’s of public health program. Upon the end of her internship, she was brought onto the Penn Memory Center communications and outreach team as a full-time research and outreach coordinator.
Carlos Thomas, MA, completed the PMC communications internship during his master’s of communication and media studies program at Villanova University. Thomas is currently a research coordinator for the Wang Lab at Penn.
Danny Yarnall was a communications intern in 2020. Yarnall is now a social media manager for SevenPonds.
Leah Fein participated in the Health and Science Communications Internship in 2018. Fein is now a social worker at the Penn Memory Center.
Cait Kearney is a communications coordinator at PMC.
Clinical Fellows
PMC fellows engage in mentored clinical evaluations, as well as clinical trials and other patient-oriented research. They also have protected time for scholarly work with the expectation that grant support will be pursued by the end of their training.
Kyra O’Brien, MD, is an instructor of neurology at Penn Medicine.
Sara Manning, MD, is an assistant professor of neurology at Penn Medicine.
Lauren McCollum, MD, was a clinical fellow from 2018 to 2020. Dr. McCollum is now a neurologist at the Pat Summit Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Riddhi Patira, MD
Riddhi Patira, MD, was a clinical fellow from 2017 to 2018. Dr. Patira is an assistant professor of neurology at the school of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Research Interns
Research interns typically work on one or more projects related to the work of The Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain – Penn Memory Center. Intern experience varies by the goals of the intern and the needs of the principle investigator. The experience includes, but is not limited to, collecting and analyzing data, composing literature reviews, and participating in presentations.
Audrey Krall, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, is a nurse practitioner at Spring Fertility.
Olivia Bernal, MD, MPH, graduated from the Perelman School of Medicine and is now a resident of internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Rani Plotkin is the manager of analytics integration at ChenMed, which brings value-based primary care providers to low-income geriatric populations.