All three student-led submissions from Weill Cornell Medicine's Neuropsychological Services have been accepted for presentation at the prestigious Grand Rounds program at the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) this November in Los Angeles.
The NAN Grand Rounds format is highly competitive, with a large number of applicants vying for just four to five presentation slots annually. The format resembles a case presentation that is workshopped in front of a large audience of peers, making it one of the most coveted opportunities at this national conference.
"To have all three come from the same lab is not something I've seen before," said Dr. Heidi Allison Bender, Director of Neuropsychological Services and Professor of Neuropsychology in the Department of Neurological Surgery. "Historically, they're pretty competitive to get, and to have three of them from one lab is really special." Dr. Bender and Dr. Amanda Sacks-Zimmerman serve as mentors to students in the lab, reflecting the collaborative model that has enabled this success.
All three presentations are based on clinical cases the extern students encountered during their training at Weill Cornell Medicine, representing a unique blend of clinical work and research that characterizes the program's approach to neuropsychology education.
Zhouxuan (Sylvia) Wang will present "Integrating Cultural Identity into Cognitive Remediation: A Case Study of Chinese American Medical Student Recovering from Right-Sided Frontal Astrocytoma Through Culturally Responsive Bilingual CBT Informed Intervention." Her work explores how cultural and linguistic factors can be integrated into cognitive rehabilitation. The co-author on this work is Dr. Sacks-Zimmerman.
Megan Lacritz will present "Divergence Between Neuropsychological Profile and Psychological Functioning of a Heart Transplant Candidate," examining the complex intersection of cognitive assessment and transplant candidacy evaluation for a bicultural and bilingual patient. The co-authors on this work include: Keren Isufi, Natalie Edman, Melissa Escobar, Dr. Andrew Lokai, Dr. Bender.
Melissa Escobar will present "Barriers to Deep Brain Stimulation in Latinx Patients with Parkinson's Disease," investigating cultural and socioeconomic barriers faced by Spanish-speaking patients undergoing neuropsychological evaluation for deep brain stimulation candidacy.The co-authors on this work include: Dr. Andrew Lokai, Evita Conway, Alice Gavarette Olvera, Dr. Michael Turman, Dr. Bender.
Dr. Bender identified a common thread running through all three presentations: "The through line of all of the submissions was very patient-centric, tailored care – really looking at each patient as an individual and not just their diagnosis, not just their disease, not just their symptoms but their world."
The externship program, embedded within the Department of Neurological Surgery, represents one of the few neuropsychology services in the country situated in a Neurosurgery department rather than the more typical neurology or psychiatry settings. This unique positioning reflects the department's commitment to comprehensive patient care.
Dr. Bender credits Chair and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief Dr. Philip Stieg, for creating this environment. "He believes that neuropsychology is such an integral part of the patient's care," she explained. "He said something once to me that I never forgot: 'We help patients live and you help make their lives worth living.'"
The program accepts nine students annually from a pool of approximately 100 applicants. These doctoral students work with patients two days a week and are encouraged to pursue research when they identify interesting clinical patterns or cases. The program's philosophy of "meeting patients where they are" extends from orientation through clinical practice.
"We don't mandate that the students do research, but we do support them," Dr. Bender noted. "And with that support, they really work together and do a beautiful job."
The students will present their research at the NAN conference in November, representing not only their own academic achievements but also the innovative, patient-centered approach that defines neuropsychological services at Weill Cornell Medicine.
