Training the next generation of health professionals is an important part of the Penn Memory Center’s mission. Through hands-on experience in clinical care, research, and communications, PMC trainees build skills that prepare them for careers in brain health and aging.
See where former trainees have taken their careers and explore opportunities at PMC.
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology trainees gain experience administering and interpreting cognitive assessments for PMC’s clinical care and research studies. Some also collect data for dissertation or thesis projects and contribute to research publications.
Katherine Hackett, PhD, completed a neuropsychology practicum at PMC and contributed to a manuscript using Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) data. She is now an assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Kimberly Halberstadter completed an undergraduate research project with Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, PhD, before joining her lab as a clinical research coordinator. She is now a graduate student at Temple University and a neuropsychology practicum trainee with Emma Rhodes, PhD, at the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center.
Kayci Vickers, PhD, completed a neuropsychology practicum at PMC and contributed to a manuscript using Penn ADRC data. She is now an assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine.
Social Work
Led by Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, PMC’s director of social work, the internship program prepares graduate students for careers in geriatric social work. Interns gain hands-on experience supporting patients and families, facilitating programs, and contributing to research projects.
Cynthia Clyburn, MSW ’18, began her career as an outpatient social worker in Penn’s Department of Neurology. She now works as a social worker for the memory disorders clinic at MUSC Health in South Carolina.
Nora Garland, MSW ’19, previously worked as an outpatient social worker at Penn’s Multiple Sclerosis Clinic. She is now a patient support eligibility specialist at Johnson & Johnson.
Laura Vargas, MSW ’19, previously worked as a grief specialist at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. She now operates a private practice specializing in grief therapy.
Beryn Weinstock, MSW ’24, LSW, is a social worker in the department of cognitive neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Communications
PMC’s Health and Science Communications Internship provides hands-on experience in health and science communications, including news writing, social media, website content, and community outreach.
Sharnita Midgett, MPH, completed the internship in 2018 while pursuing her master’s degree in public health at La Salle University. She is now a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania and a research assistant at Temple University’s Barnett College of Public Health.
Leah Fein, LCSW, MPH, participated in the internship in 2018. She is now associate director of social work at the Penn Memory Center.
Joyce Lee, MD, graduated from Boston University School of Medicine and is now a neurology resident at Boston Medical Center.
David Ney, MD, completed his residency at Jefferson Medicine and is now a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Clinical Fellows
PMC clinical fellows participate in mentored clinical evaluations and patient-oriented research, including clinical trials. Fellows also receive protected time for scholarly work.
Sara Manning, MD, is an assistant professor of neurology at Penn Medicine.
Lauren McCollum, MD, completed her clinical fellowship at PMC from 2018 to 2020. She is now a neurologist at the Pat Summitt Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Kyra O’Brien, MD, is an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and medical director of the Penn Medicine GUIDE Program.
Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB)
The Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB) explores how advances in biomarkers are changing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of brain diseases. P3MB trainees contribute to research examining the clinical, ethical, and policy implications of precision medicine for the brain.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Claire Erickson, PhD, MA, completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Medical Ethics and Health Policy from 2022 to 2024 and was a Clark Scholar. She is now a staff scientist at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute’s Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative and continues to collaborate with the P3MB team.
Graduate Student Interns
Olivia Bernal, MD, MPH, joined P3MB as a Penn graduate student intern from 2018 to 2019 and volunteered with PMC’s Time Out program. She is now an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and a geriatrician at UCSF Health.
Han Cao, LICSW, joined P3MB as a Penn graduate student intern from 2020 to 2021 while pursuing a master’s degree in social work. Han is now a clinical social worker in the Caregiver Support Program at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Dementia Care Collaborative.
Carolyn Chow, MD, joined P3MB as a Penn medical student intern from 2021 to 2022. She is now an internal medicine resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and remains engaged in research through the PAIR Center.
Research Interns
Research interns work alongside Penn Memory Center investigators on projects exploring brain health and aging. Through opportunities such as the Summer Training in Aging Research (STAR) program, students gain research experience and explore potential careers in science and health care.
Farraday Johnson participated in PMC’s STAR program in 2024 and returned in 2025 as a clinical research coordinator for the ATM study.
Jamila Zablah participated in the STAR program in 2023 and is now a life sciences analyst at Acumetis.
Chris Andraos participated in the STAR program in 2026 while studying at Villanova University.
