Supervisor Directory

Dr. Franchesca Arias is originally from Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. Dr. Arias is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida and an AlzSTARS Scholar with the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She completed her Ph.D. at Fordham University with a specialization in clinical neuropsychology. At Fordham University, Dr. Arias worked under Dr. Monica Rivera Mindt’s mentorship to examine cognition and health disparities in adults from socioeconomically and ethnoracially underrepresented groups with opioid use disorders. Subsequently, Dr. Arias completed her clinical internship and an NIA-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida (UF). During her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Arias received specialty training in perioperative cognition. Subsequently, she worked with Dr. Sharon Inouye at the Aging Brain Center of the Hebrew SeniorLife, exploring the contribution of social determinants of health on cognitive changes in older adults.

Breton Asken, PhD, ATC, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida. He is also a Fixel Scholar in the Normal Fixel Institute for Neurological Disorders. Dr. Asken completed bachelors degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Exercise & Sport Science – Athletic Training, Psychology) where he also worked as a research assistant in the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and completed his Athletic Training Certification (ATC). He then earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology track) from the University of Florida and completed his clinical internship in neuropsychology at Brown University. Prior to joining faculty at UF, Dr. Asken completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center.

Dr. Asken’s research broadly focuses on how lifetime head trauma exposure relates to clinical and neuropathological variability among patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of dementia. He is also an active clinical neuropsychologist and specializes in evaluation of older adult patients with suspected neurodegenerative disease.

Lab Recruitment (updated 7/2023): Dr. Asken currently does not anticipate reviewing graduate student applications for the 2023 Fall/Winter cycle for students planning to enroll in Fall 2024.

Dr. Asken is not currently recruiting postdoctoral fellows but plans to in the future. Prospective fellows should reach out to Dr. Asken to check recruitment status regularly.

Dawn Bowers is a Professor and clinical/research neuropsychologist in the Departments of Clinical & Health Psychology and Neurology at the University of Florida. She is a UF Research Foundation Professor, the Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the Fixel Institute, and neuropsychology director for the UF Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration program. Dr. Bowers received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida, interned at Boston University/Boston Veterans Administration Hospital (with an externship at the Framingham Heart Project), and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral neurology at the University of Florida. She is internationally known for her expertise in neurocognitive and emotion changes associated with age related disorders including Parkinson disease, Essential Tremor, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurologic disorders. Her research has spanned  laterality, attention and memory, and neuropsychology of emotion using TMS, ERP, psychophysiology, near infrared stimulation, computational modeling, and face digitizing. She has received continuous research funding by NIH and other foundations since 1981. She has over 225 peer-reviewed research articles, over 400 peer-reviewed research presentations, 1 co-authored book, and 1 clinical test.   She is strongly committed to clinical and research training of predoctoral and post-doctoral fellows and is MPI of an NINDS-funded T32 in Interdisciplinary Training in Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. She sees patients clinically for neuropsychological assessment and intervention at the Fixel Center. Her lab website: https://cogneuro.phhp.ufl.edu

Erika M. Cascio, Psy.D., is a clinical associate professor and neuropsychologist who joined the University of Florida faculty in 2016 in the department of clinical & health psychology. A graduate of Wright State University School of Professional Psychology, she completed specialized training in neuropsychology at Wallace Kettering Neuroscience Institute and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, followed by a neuropsychology residency and pediatric neuropsychology fellowship at UF. Dr. Cascio’s clinical focus involves assessment and diagnosis of neurocognitive conditions affecting individuals with complex medical illnesses. She is an expert on the brain-behavior relationship, particularly related to how diseases and their associated treatments impact the developing brain. Dr. Cascio is especially passionate about hematology/oncology, brain tumor, pediatric and adult epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Driscoll is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology and an Adjoint Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Florida. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in Florida and Colorado. Her expertise is in the psychological aspects of type 1 diabetes, its management, and technologies. She provides direct clinical care to individuals with type 1 diabetes of all ages and members of their support system. Dr. Driscoll has several active NIH grants focused on providing intervention to individuals with type 1 diabetes in an effort to improve self-management behaviors and glycemic control. She also holds an appointment as an Associate Professor at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado.

David Fedele, Ph.D., ABPP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida. Dr. Fedele earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University in 2012 and completed his clinical internship and a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. Dr. Fedele’s research broadly focuses on family adjustment to pediatric chronic illness. He is particularly interested in the psychosocial aspects of pediatric chronic illnesses including how health behaviors, adherence to treatment regimens, and the child-caregiver relationship impact adjustment and morbidity.

Dr. Fedele’s current research predominantly focuses on youth diagnosed with asthma or cystic fibrosis and their families. He currently mentors graduate students in the university’s clinical psychology doctoral program. Graduate students working in Dr. Fedele’s Pediatric Behavioral Health Lab work toward doctorate degrees that lead to careers as pediatric psychologists and researchers.

Dr. Joy Gabrielli specializes in the treatment of adolescents and families. She is trained in trauma-focused intervention that is both individual- and family-based. She also has experience with reduction of health risk behaviors in youth.

Dr. Gabrielli’s program of research centers on the identification of modifiable environmental risk factors for adolescent health risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) that can be targeting for intervention and prevention efforts. She also has a specific interest in working with understudied and high-risk populations in this area, with a particular emphasis on youth in foster care. Following her work at the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health at Dartmouth, she developed an interest in applications of digital technologies to address the prevention and treatment needs of youth clinical populations. Dr. Gabrielli has also created a framework for a media literacy preventative intervention for parents (T.E.C.H. Parenting) to reduce youth risk for initiation of health risk behaviors.

Clinical Focus: Dr. Gullett conducts adult neuropsychological assessments across a broad range of ages and referral reasons. The majority of his neuropsychological assessment referrals come from the Neurology department and focus on older adults with changes in cognition.

Research Focus: Dr. Gullett’s research is focused on (1) the use of Artificial Intelligence methods to predict intervention outcomes and disease progression in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and (2) the relationship of white matter microstructure with clinical disorders and their associated neuropsychological function.

Dr. Kristin Hamlet is a Clinical Assistant Professor and licensed Florida psychologist in the Department of Clinical & Health Psychology. She teaches and supervises graduate students, interns, and postdoctoral fellows on provision of clinical services in neuropsychological assessment and intervention. Dr. Hamlet’s clinical patients are often adults with acquired neurological injuries or illnesses, and her assessments and interventions serve individuals and their families from the time of injury (acute hospitalization after traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury) through chronic phases of recovery.

Dr. Shelley Heaton is Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical & Health Psychology at the University of Florida (UF), where she mentors doctoral students, teaches, engages in collaborate research, maintains a busy clinical neuropsychology practice, and provides specialized training in pediatric neuropsychology. Dr. Heaton is active in professional service, both nationally and locally. She has been a Consulting Editor to the Child Neuropsychology journal since 2006, and has served Division 40 of the American Psychological Association (APA) in several capacities over the past 10 years. Dr. Heaton has also provided valuable service to the UF community through her work with the Disability Resource Center and the McNair Scholarship Program. Dr. Heaton received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2001 from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) after completing an internship in neuropsychology at the University of Florida (UF). Her areas of clinical and scientific interest include: Adult Cortical Mapping & Awake Craniotomy Support Services, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Epilepsy Across the Lifespan, Pediatric Neuropsychology, Developmental Disorders, Pediatric Brain Tumors and Cancer, Attention and Memory Impairments in Childhood Conditions, Measurement Issues Pertaining to Cognition, and Forensic Pediatric Neuropsychology.

Dr. Holgerson joined faculty in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology in 2018. She completed her graduate training at Virginia Commonwealth University, pre-doctoral internship at the University of Florida Health Science Center, and post-doctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Holgerson is Director of Clinical Training for the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology’s Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. In this role, she oversees the clinical training and evaluation of the department’s graduate students (approximately 85), leads the introduction to clinical psychology course, helps prepare students for their first practica and for pre-doctoral internship applications, and manages many other aspects of graduate students’ progression through the program towards their doctoral degree.

Dr. Holgerson directs the Bariatric/Weight Management service with UF Health Psychology Specialties. She conducts comprehensive psychological evaluations for patients being considered for bariatric procedures and intervention. She is a member of the UF Health Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center team, offering a comprehensive treatment approach to weight management. She also sees adults for behavioral weight management and disordered eating concerns, as well as patients who present with broad concerns related to the intersection of mental and physical health.

Dr. Holgerson supervises trainees enrolled in the APA-Accredited UF Clinical Psychology graduate program, APA-Accredited UF Health Sciences Center Psychology Internship, and APPIC-Directory Listed Postdoctoral Fellowship.

David Janicke, Ph.D., ABPP is the Elizabeth Faulk Endowed Professor & Chair in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida. He is also the director of the Center for Pediatric Psychology and Family Studies. Dr. Janicke He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Tech in 2001 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He is a Fellow of APA Division 54 and is the PI on multiple NIH and Medicaid funded trials examining the effectiveness of community-based behavioral family interventions for addressing obesity in underserved and at-risk youth. Dr. Janicke has broad research interests in pediatric psychology, most notably improving self-management to, and coping with, acute and chronic health conditions.

Dr. Janicke’s main area of interest is translational research intended to promote the dissemination of obesity interventions for individuals in community settings, with a primary focus on children. His most recent work is examining unique modes of intervention delivery to broader reach and sustainability of health behavior change interventions.

Dr. Lisa King is a Licensed Psychologist and Board Certified in Clinical Psychology. She is also a Certified Addiction Professional and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

In addition to being the Director of UF Health Psychology Specialties, Dr. King leads a General Mental Health Team consisting of Master’s prepared therapists providing clinical services to adolescents and adults. The Team provides evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior-informed Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure and Exposure with Response Prevention. Services include group and individual therapy for Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, relationship concerns, self-harming behaviors, suicidal ideation, substance use concerns, disordered eating patterns, grief, adjustment concerns, and support for LGBT individuals and their family members. The Team also specializes in treating medical and other health professionals and students.

Dr. King created and implemented a DBT program for adolescents and adults with suicidal ideation, self-harming and other ineffective coping behaviors. The program helps patients decrease these behaviors, learn to cope with intense emotions, and improve interactions with others. Patients attend both weekly Skills Classes and individual sessions. Parents are required to attend Classes with their adolescent in order to develop their own practice of skills and to assist their adolescent to grow and develop as they progress into adulthood.

Dr. Shellie-Anne Levy is a clinical neuropsychologist in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. She completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at UF. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology at Howard University and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Emory University.

Dr. Michael Marsiske is Professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology in the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Dr. Marsiske received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1992 (Human Development and Family Studies). He followed this with a postdoctoral fellowship in Psychology and Human Development at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education in Berlin (1992-1995). Prior to joining the University of Florida in 2000, Dr. Marsiske was an Assistant Professor of Gerontology and Psychology at Wayne State University.

Dr. Jessica Payne-Murphy is Director of the Insomnia and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. Before joining the faculty team, she completed her postdoctoral fellowship and internship in clinical health psychology at UF. She received her doctorate in clinical health psychology at the University of Colorado Denver and her bachelor’s degree from Smith College in 1999. Her prior work includes neuropsychological assessment for older adults with mild cognitive impairment/dementias and working with patients with chronic pain, mood and somatization disorders.

Dr. Rebecca L. Pearl is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology in the College of Public Health and Health Professions. She was previously an Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry and Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) Perelman School of Medicine and Director of Research at the Penn Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. Dr. Pearl received her A.B. from Duke University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yale University. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and her post-doctoral fellowship at Penn.