FACULTY
Dr. Kathy S. Chiou is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and an affiliate faculty at the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior. Her doctoral training in clinical psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology was completed at the Pennsylvania State University, with a year of clinical internship also in neuropsychology done at the University of Florida Health Science Center. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Traumatic Brain Injury research lab at Kessler Foundation. When Dr. Chiou is not in the lab, you're likely to find her: on a couch somewhere (reading or binge watching movies on Netflix), on one of the trails in town (biking or running), or on a mountain somewhere (backpacking or snowboarding).
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Seima Al-Momani
Jeremy Feiger is a sixth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is broadly interested in the neural underpinnings of cognitive outcomes associated with traumatic brain injury, and the recovery and rehabilitation from brain injury. Additionally, he is interested in examining neurocognitive, and biological substrates including within the central nervous system, immune, and endocrine systems, associated with comorbidity of psychiatric symptomology (i.e. psychosis, depression, aggression) and traumatic brain injury. Jeremy received his master’s degree in psychological research, from Cal State Long Beach where he also received a bachelor’s degree in psychology. At Long Beach, he conducted research examining relationships between frontal lobe functioning, as measured by EEG and neuropsychological testing, and crime and mental disorders. The focus of his master’s thesis was looking at the mediating effects of neurocognitive deficits on the relationship between history of TBI, and separately schizophrenia spectrum disorders and violent crime. Additionally, he worked as a lead research assistant in the Aggression and Intergroup Relations Lab examining how subliminal primes can affect aggressive responses to a provocation. Jeremy’s passion for neuropsychological research began when he worked with Veterans in the neuropsychological testing lab, and as a clinical research coordinator at the VA hospital in Long Beach. Jeremy is currently completing his pre-doctoral internship in clinical neuropsychology at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center.
Rachael Snyder is a fifth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a concentration in Neuropsychology. She is interested in investigating novel rehabilitation methods for both the acute and chronic phases of recovery from traumatic brain injury and how these methods may be applied clinically to optimize quality of life after injury. Rachael obtained a dual Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience and Spanish from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. She then spent time with the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Laboratory where she administered neuropsychological assessments and investigated high definition transcranial direct current stimulation as a potential treatment for mild cognitive impairment. In her spare time, Rachael enjoys watching Food Network, cheering for her favorite football team (Michigan), and spending time with her family.
Michael Walsh is a fourth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His scientific interests concern the neurobiological processes that underlie cognitive and psychiatric impairments following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, he aims to understand the brain's resilience to trauma and how neural plasticity can be harnessed to improve one's prognosis after head injury. He hopes to develop new rehabilitation strategies, guided by advances in neuroimaging, to restore functioning and quality of life for TBI survivors. Mike received his B.S. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego. His undergraduate research examined cerebral blood flow irregularities in carriers of allelic variants associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. After receiving his degree, Mike managed the TBI Neuroimaging and Cognition Laboratory at the San Diego VA Hospital. His work there used structural, functional, and vascular brain imaging modalities to predict cognitive health outcomes in military veterans with combat-related TBI. Outside of his professional pursuits, Mike enjoys playing music, traveling, and rooting for his favorite baseball team, the New York Mets.
Christopher Waller is a third year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Chris graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 2012 with a B.A. in Psychology. He spent years working directly with children and families in both residential and case management roles. In 2017 he began a master's program in Clinical Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where his primary area of research was in traumatic brain injury (TBI) with Dr. Laura Pawlow. His externship took place at Saint Louis University's Neuropsychology services and shortly after he worked on a longitudinal research study on Parkinson's Disease under Dr. Meghan Campbell. In his free time you'll likely find him playing his bass, gaming, camping, reading, or traveling with his family.
Jessica Stump is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is interested in examining the impact of traumatic brain injuries on underserved and minoritized populations. Her research focuses on intimate partner violence-related brain injuries and assessing ethnic disparities in access to rehabilitative care and resources. Additionally, Jess is interested in exploring the influence of comorbid anxiety on rehabilitation outcomes. Her goal is to develop new assessment and rehabilitation tools that consider individual differences and trauma to better serve the underserved. Jess graduated from UNL in 2022 with a B.A. in psychology. After graduation, she worked at UNMC in Omaha as a clinical research coordinator. Outside of academia, Jess enjoys hiking, organizing, and spending time with loved ones.
POST-BACCALAUREATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Jessica Phelps
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Mara Godfrey
Drake Reinke
Lan Volberding
PAST MEMBERS & GRADUATES
Grace Amadon (undergraduate research assistant)
Ava Berkey (undergraduate research assistant)
Mackenzie Cissne (undergraduate research assistant and lab manager)
Andrew Cwiek (post-baccalaureate research assistant)
Valeriya Dedushkevich (undergraduate research assistant)
Emily Johnson (undergraduate research assistant)
Megan Jones (undergraduate research assistant)
Emma L'Heureux (undergraduate research assistant)
Carly Moran (undergraduate research assistant)
Teagan Mieth (undergraduate research assistant)
Aaliyah Miller (undergraduate research assistant)
Alec Miller (undergraduate research assistant)
Jared Noetzel (undergraduate research assistant)
Emily Overend (undergraduate research assistant)
Scarlett Ramos (undergraduate research assistant)
Mikki Schantell (undergraduate research assistant)
Trevor Scarlett (undergraduate research assistant)
Kole Smith (undergraduate research assistant)
Jessica Stump (undergraduate research assistant)
Jessie Tibbs (graduate student)
Lauren Weis (undergraduate research assistant)
FRIENDS OF THE LAB
Research in the lab would not be possible without the help of our collaborators:
-Dr. Karen Hux, Department of Special Education & Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
-Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln & Omaha
-Quality Living, Inc. (QLI), Omaha
-Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska
-Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center
-Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior (CB3) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
-Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ
