2023 Frank L. LeFever Spring Conference / "The Neuropsychologist's Responsibility and Role in Equity and Access" / Daryl Fujii, PhD, ABPP-CN; Desiree Byrd, PhD, ABPP-CN; Emnet Gammada, PhD; Nancy Rothenberg, Esq

Virtual conference  4/25/23  3-6pm

2023 Frank L LeFever Spring Conference

The Neuropsychologist's

Responsibility and Role

in Equity and Access

Daryl Fujii PhD ABPP-CN

Conducting a Culturally-Informed Neuropsychological Assessment Using the ECLECTIC Framework

Desiree Byrd, PhD, ABPP-CN, and Emnet Gammada, PhD

Re-imagining Access to Neuropsychological Care and Training

Nancy Rothenberg, Esq.

The Attorney and Neuropsychologist Collaborative Impact on Access to Educational Rights

Members: $45, which includes attendance & 3 CE credits*

Student Members: FREE

Non-members: $90, which includes attendance & 3 CE credits*

*New York Neuropsychology Group is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0107 

*New York Neuropsychology Group is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. NYNG maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 

Daryl Fujii PhD ABPP-CN

Conducting a Culturally-Informed Neuropsychological Assessment Using the ECLECTIC Framework

Abstract: Current trends such as increases in international immigration and demographic changes in the U.S. will require neuropsychologists to develop competence in providing services to an increasingly diverse population. Thus far the focus for cultural neuropsychology has been finding translated validated normed tests appropriate for each patient; a strategy which is important for evaluating neurocognition but impossible to develop for all diversities and inherent heterogeneities within each group.  Alternatively, it is argued that the foundation for cultural neuropsychological assessment is a conceptual understanding of the patient, as test scores require a context for clinical interpretation. The purpose of this talk will be to introduce the ECLECTIC Framework (Fujii, 2018) which identifies important cultural facets for developing a conceptual understanding of the patient. Each facet will be described, and its clinical utility illustrated through examples of its potential impact on test validity.

Daryl Fujii, Ph.D., ABPP-CN is a staff neuropsychologist at the Veterans Affairs Pacific Island Health Care Services Community Living Center. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in 1991, interned at the Sepulveda VAMC, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. Daryl earned his diplomate in clinical neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology in 1999 and was elected to fellow status of the American Psychological Association in 2006 and the National Academy of Neuropsychology in 2016. Daryl has 70+ publications including three books: The Spectrum of Psychotic Disorders: Neurobiology, Etiology, and Pathogenesis (2007), The Neuropsychology of Asian-Americans (2010), and Conducting a Culturally-Informed Neuropsychological Evaluation (2016). Daryl is a co-founding member and former President of the Asian Neuropsychological Association, an Associate Editor of the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Chair of the VA Pacific Island Health Care Services and Central California Internal Review Boards. He was also selected as a cultural expert for the 2022 Minnesota Conference for updating training guidelines in clinical neuropsychology.

Learning Objectives:

1. Utilize the ECLECTIC Framework in assessments for developing a contextual understanding of the patient.
2. Utilize cultural research in assessment preparation for culturally diverse patients. 
3. Identify potential biases in the assessment process of a culturally diverse patient per American, Education, and Research Association (AERA) standards for fairness in testing. Modify assessment approaches to address biases and document in report.
4. Prepare culturally useful recommendations as the goal for clinical assessments.

References:

Fujii, D. E. (2023). Incorporating Intersectionality in Neuropsychology: Moving the Discipline Forward. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 38(1), 154-167.

Fujii, D. E. (2018). Developing a cultural context for conducting a neuropsychological evaluation with a culturally diverse client: The ECLECTIC framework. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 32(8), 1356-1392.

Fujii, D. (2016). Conducting a culturally-informed neuropsychological evaluation. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.

Fujii, D., Kaseda, E.T., Haneda, A., Kuroda, H., Machizawa, S., Okamura, Y., Ono, K., Yamada, T., & Thaler, N.S. (2023).  Sociodemographic, cultural, linguistic, and test selection considerations for clinical neuropsychological assessment with Japanese and Japanese-American patients in the United States. The Clinical Neuropsychologist. 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2022.2156395

Irani, F. (Ed.). (2022). Cultural diversity in neuropsychological assessment: Developing understanding through global case studies. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Desiree Byrd, PhD, ABPP-CN, and Emnet Gammada, PhD

Re-imagining Access to Neuropsychological Care and Training

Abstract: Brain health disparities are exacerbated by inequitable access to neuropsychological care and the lack of providers with diverse identities. The potential of neuropsychologists to counteract these forces can be harnessed through novel practice and training models that are rooted in community care, collaborations, and professional commitments to dismantling brain health disparities. This presentation will review barriers which disrupt access to neuropsychological care and training for large segments of the population. The presentation will challenge participants to reexamine assumptions  about current models of care as a means to inspire the development of effective alternatives. Finally, participants will learn of novel neuropsychological practice and training frameworks  that promote equitable and  sustainable access to care. 

Desiree Byrd, PhD, ABPP-CN is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the City University of New York, Queens College and the Graduate Center with a joint appointment in Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a board-certified neuropsychologist and a nationally recognized leader in the field of cross-cultural neuropsychology. Her research focuses on the roles of health disparities and culture in the expression of cognitive dysfunction in central nervous system disease. Her interests are in aging, dementia, HIV, substance use, and under-represented populations. Pairing her research interests with dedicated training and advocacy to increase the diversity of scientists and research participants in neuropsychology is a privilege that she has proudly, humbly and enthusiastically devoted time to throughout her career.  She has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and 10 book chapters. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer’s Association.  She has served in leadership positions for the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology and a sitting member of the National Institute of Aging-Neuroscience study section.

Emnet Z. Gammada, PhD is a clinical geriatric neuropsychologist at the UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Queens College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and her internship and fellowship training at the UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior in geriatric neuropsychology. Dr. Gammada completed an advocacy internship with the American Psychological Association at the United Nation working closely with the NGO committee on Ageing to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of global ageing. Her research focuses on addressing health disparity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). In 2021, she launched a qualitative study that aims to understand the construct of resiliency in Black ADRD caregivers by examining the concept of Black Joy in caregiving.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the sociopolitical context of brain health disparities in the United States and the contribution of neuropsychological assessment to this landscape.
2. Identify specific changes to practice models that can increase access to neuropsychological care.
3. Identify the benefits of supporting the training and career development of neuropsychologists from a broader spectrum of identities.

References:

Holman, A. R., D’Costa, S., & Janowitch, L. (2021). Toward Equity in School-Based Assessment: Incorporating Collaborative/Therapeutic Techniques to Redistribute Power. School Psychology Review, 1-14.

Byrd, D. A., Rivera Mindt, M. M., Clark, U. S., Clarke, Y., Thames, A. D., Gammada, E. Z., & Manly, J. J. (2021). Creating an antiracist psychology by addressing professional complicity in psychological assessment. Psychological Assessment, 33(3), 279.

Hooley, E. M. (2019). Power, diversity, and relational process within supervision. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 13(3), 212–215.

Mishori, R. (2019). The social determinants of health? Time to focus on the political determinants of health! Medical Care, 57(7), 491-493.

Nancy Rothenberg, Esq.

The Attorney and Neuropsychologist Collaborative Impact on Access to Educational Rights

Abstract: Outline a collaborative approach between attorneys and neuropsychologists and utilize rights under - Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and New York City and State Regulations to protect all families as Federal and State laws support families of all socioeconomic, racial, ethnic and gender differences, especially through the Fee-Shifting provision and Independent Education Evaluation provisions. Discuss the continuum of services, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and how language in neuropsychological recommendations can support services and placement at school and home.

Nancy Rothenberg, Esq. is owner and manager of Law Offices of Nancy Rothenberg, P.L.L.C., representing families within the five boroughs of New York City.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the wide scope of rights under IDEA and New York City and State Regulations to protect all families as Federal and State laws support families of all socioeconomic, racial, ethnic and gender differences, especially through the Fee-Shifting provision and Independent Education Evaluation provisions. 
2. Identify the basic rights for each student in prekindergarten through age 21 under an IEP due yearly and fully appropriate to address individual needs and allow access to education through the continuum of services.
3. Utilize suggestions and persuasive language for recommendations within neuropsychological evaluations to support programming and implement real change for students both at home and school.

References:

H.R.1350 - Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/1350

New York City Chancellors Regulations. https://infohub.nyced.org/working-with-the-doe/special-education-providers/standard-operating-procedures-manual

New York City Department of Education Standard Operating Procedures Manual. https://infohub.nyced.org/working-with-the-doe/special-education-providers/standard-operating-procedures-manual

US Supreme Court Case 15-827 Endrew F. v. Douglas County School Dist. RE–1, 580 U.S. ___ (2017) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwib1uGD1Y7-AhUCFFkFHTmIB2wQFnoECBIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.supremecourt.gov%2Fopinions%2F16pdf%2F15-827_0pm1.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3mfyO6DuuBF1wVfKpx1jGy