Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student; Neuropsychology

Dr. Ellison Primary Clinical/Research Advisee

Karen is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, pursuing the Neuropsychology Track. Her clinical and research interests center on culturally and linguistically responsive neuropsychological assessment, with particular emphasis on Spanish-speaking and Latino populations. Her work examines how linguistic, cultural, sociodemographic, and psychosocial factors influence cognitive and functional assessment, with interests spanning bilingualism, adaptive functioning, cognitive and performance validity, neurodegenerative disorders, and health disparities. She has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and national conference presentations addressing neuropsychological assessment across diverse clinical populations. Karen has extensive experience providing neuropsychological assessment in both English and Spanish across academic medical centers and private clinical settings, working with diverse neurological, medical, psychiatric, and developmental populations. Beyond her clinical and research work, Karen serves as Student Representative-Elect for the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS) Student Association Committee, where she represents student and trainee perspectives and contributes to programming, outreach, and professional development initiatives. She is passionate about mentorship, community engagement, and advancing equitable neuropsychological services for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Contact: karen.basurto@my.rfums.org

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student; Neuropsychology

Dr. Ellison Primary Clinical/Research Advisee

Jared is a fourth-year Clinical Psychology/Neuropsychology PhD student, an advanced neuropsychology extern at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and an advanced clinical psychology extern at Chicago ADHD Associates. His research interests center on the application of neuropsychology and quantitative methods to neurosurgical contexts, particularly presurgical assessment and postsurgical outcome monitoring. His recent work includes the use of resting-state and task-based functional MRI (fMRI) for presurgical language mapping in patients with epilepsy, as well as mixture modeling and latent profile analysis in adult ADHD research. Broadly, his research aims to integrate neuroimaging, quantitative psychology, and neuropsychological assessment.  

Contact: j.jacobsoncherry@my.rfums.org

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student; Neuropsychology

Dr. Ellison Primary Clinical/Research Advisee

Janelli is a third-year clinical psychology PhD student on the neuropsychology track at RFUMS. Before graduate school, Janelli received her BA in Cognitive Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis, also minoring in Latin American Studies. Her research interests include racial disparities in dementia and cognitive outcomes, neuropsychological assessment, and cognitive rehabilitation in diverse populations, with a particular interest in Spanish-speaking communities. She is also interested in examining clinical and neuropathological correlates of cognitive and neurobehavioral functioning. Beyond her research and clinical training, Janelli is passionate about increasing the representation and engagement of historically underrepresented communities in research. She advances these efforts through her role as a New2Neuropsychology Outreach Ambassador and through community-based volunteer work.

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student; Neuropsychology

Dr. Ellison Primary Clinical/Research Advisee

Madeleine is a third-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student specializing in neuropsychology. She received clinical training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and currently trains at Northwestern Medicine and in forensic neuropsychology private practices. Her research interests lie at the intersection of clinical neuroscience and neuropsychology, with a focus on epilepsy, movement disorders, and functional neurological disorder (FND). She is interested in lifespan risk factors, including socioeconomic and sociodemographic disparities, that may influence vulnerability to and clinical expression of these disorders. Madeleine is particularly interested in integrating neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessment, and neurobiological markers to characterize cognitive, behavioral, and motor phenotypes, including functional symptoms and functional overlay in neurological disease. She is also interested in how these factors inform the assessment and differential diagnosis of FND in forensic settings, particularly among underserved populations. Ultimately, she hopes to improve the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, movement disorders, and FND across clinical and forensic contexts.

Contact: madeleine.smith@my.rfums.org

Mansi is a second-year master’s student in the clinical-counseling program on the clinical track and is a clinical intern (i.e., masters practicum student) at Josselyn Center. She is passionate about community mental health and providing culturally responsive care to diverse and underserved populations. Her research interests center on racial and ethnic health disparities, particularly how cultural, social, and structural factors contribute to inequities in mental and physical health. She is especially interested in immigrant and second-generation individuals navigating bicultural identities and how cultural values, family expectations, and identity development influence psychological well-being. Broadly, she hopes to explore how culture, identity, and social context shape health outcomes and access to care. Outside of RFU, she enjoys going on walks, trying different matchas, and visiting animal shelters.

Post-Bac Research Assistant

Thomas is a volunteer research assistant and has been involved with Dr. Ellison’s Socially Conscious Lab since 2023. He received his B.S. in Neuroscience with a specialization in behavioral/systems at The Ohio State University and his M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University. His research interests include cognitive rehabilitation, executive functioning, and pediatric neuropsychology. In his free time outside of research, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, playing and watching soccer.

Former MS student, still actively engaged in the lab!

His main research interests integrate neuropsychology, geropsychology, and multicultural factors such as bilingualism, cultural differences, discrimination, and racial health disparities. He is also interested in studying the effects of cognitive factors on relationships. Prior to graduate work, Hunter studied at Utah State University, where he engaged in research that intersected functional neuroimaging with human development and family studies. Outside of research, Hunter loves finding new dishes to cook, binge-watching shows with his wife, and organizing game nights with friends.

Graduated student

Graduated student

Graduated student

Contact: hkhan20@hawk.iit.edu

Former MS student