Vanessa Aguilera, PsyD
I am relocating to Memphis from Los Angeles, but am originally from the metro-Atlanta area. I earned my M.A. and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology at Wheaton College and did my undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia. During my graduate studies, I conducted research examining barriers to medical treatment access for historically under-resourced communities. I recently completed my pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric Psychology at the University of Southern California UCEDD/Children's Hospital Los Angeles where I worked with children and adolescents across various medical subspecialties providing psychological services. My clinical interests include: psychological adjustment to a new oncologic diagnosis, coping with medical trauma, non-pharmacological pain management, and neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning in survivors of childhood cancer. I am particularly passionate about working with Spanish-speaking Latinx communities and individuals with developmental disabilities. In my free time I love being outdoors in nature with my husband, running, cooking, and trying new restaurants.
Mallorie Gordon, PhD
I was born and raised in New York City, and am a tried and true New Yorker! I received my BS in Art History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then moved back home to earn my MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology at The New School for Social Research. While in graduate school, I completed a predoctoral research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where I studied sun-related health behaviors among adolescents and young adults. I then completed a predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. My research and clinical interests focus on decision making, health protective behaviors, and the psychosocial and neurocognitive function among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our dog Bo, running, cooking, making lists, and reading.
Dana Kamara, PhD
I am so excited to be starting at St. Jude as a Psychology Fellow. I am originally from Seattle, WA and lived in Columbus, OH for graduate school and internship. My interests are broadly focused on pediatric psychology, and on sleep disturbances in particular. I am excited to continue training in hematology/oncology and to conduct research on sleep disruptions in youth with cancer. I am also so excited to meet the other fellows and explore Memphis as much as COVID allows. I love to read books, spend time outdoors, and am hoping to travel and refresh my scuba diving skills while I'm here!
Melanie Morse, PhD
I received my Bachelor's degree in psychology from Hendrix College and my Master's degree in clinical psychology from Mississippi State University. I recently graduated from the Clinical-Community Psychology doctoral program at University of South Carolina. I am excited to be a part of the St. Jude team!
Megan Schaefer, PhD
I grew up in a rural, small town called Maria Stein, Ohio. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Biology with a minor in Neuroscience from Miami University of Ohio. In the summer of 2012, I worked as a camp counselor at Camp Boggy Creek in Florida, a camp dedicated to serving children with serious illness. This ignited my passion to work with children with serious illness and continues to be one of the most influential experiences of my career journey thus far. Following undergraduate studies, I attended Auburn University for graduate training in which I received my M.S. and Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. I completed my pediatric psychology doctoral internship at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Throughout my training, I pursued countless opportunities to work with the pediatric hematology/oncology population as a result of my growing passion and was ecstatic to be offered the opportunity to continue my pediatric psychology training as a fellow at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. My clinical and research interests primarily include palliative care, end-of-life care, meaning-making, legacy-making, bereavement, and sibling adjustment to a childhood cancer diagnosis. It is a true honor to be a part of this amazing team at St. Jude, and I look forward to contributing to this hospital's incredible mission during my fellowship year. Outside of my career, I enjoy traveling to visit family & friends, taking long walks, reading, and playing volleyball.
Former Fellows
| Name | Mentor | Dates | Positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Crochet | Canavera | 2019-2020 | Graduate Program: Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL Internship: Wright State University/Dayton Children’s Hospital, Dayton, OH Initial Employment: Psychologist, Oschner Hospital for Children, New Orleans, LA |
| Kayla LaRosa | Crabtree | 2018-2020 | Graduate Program: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL Internship: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Silver Child Development Center, Tampa, FL Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Norton Children’s Hospital/University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY |
| Megan Loew | Porter | 2018-2019 | Graduate Program: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN Internship: Medical College of Georgia-Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, Augusta, GA Initial Employment: Senior Research Analyst, Behavioral Health Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services, St. Paul, MN |
| Elyse Heidelberg | Alberts | 2017-2019 | Graduate Program: Nova Southeastern University, College of Psychology, Fort Lauderdale, FL Internship: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Initial Employment: Instructor, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| Vicky Lehmann | Klosky | 2017-2018 | Graduate Program: University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Initial Employment: Research Psychologist, Amsterdam University Medical Center and Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Sasja Schepers | Phipps | 2017-2018 | Graduate Program: Academic Medical Center, Emma Children’s Hospital/University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Initial Employment: Psychologist, Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Lauren Cox | Willard | 2016-2018 | Graduate Program: University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS Internship: Texas Child Study Center, Austin, TX Initial Employment: Pediatric Psychologist, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas, TX |
| Kristin Niel | Crabtree | 2016-2018 | Graduate Program: Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL Internship: Mailman Center for Child Development/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL Initial Employment: Pediatric Psychologist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA |
| Justin Williams | Porter | 2015-2018 | Graduate Program: Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA Internship: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH Initial Employment: Clinical Psychologist, Kaiser Permanente Behavioral Health, Kennesaw, GA |
| Paige Lembeck | Porter | 2015-2017 | Graduate Program: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE Internship: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN Initial Employment: Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT |
| Danielle Graef | Crabtree | 2015-2017 | Graduate Program: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Internship: A.I.duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE Initial Employment: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Cincinnati, OH |
| Jennifer Allen | Ehrentraut | 2014-2016 | Graduate Program: St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO Internship: Center for Behavioral Health, Kansas City, MO Initial Employment: Clinical Psychologist, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| Kimberly Wesley | Porter | 2013-2015 | Graduate Program: LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA Internship: Guidestone, Brook Park, OH Initial Employment: Pediatric Psychologist, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA |
| Yuko Okado | Phipps | 2013-2015 | Graduate Program: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Internship: Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, CA |
| Kristin Canavera | Klosky / Crabtree | 2012-2014 | Graduate Program: Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA Internship: Mailman Center for Child Development, Miami, FL Initial Employment: Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| Chastity Brimeyer | Crabtree | 2012-2014 | Graduate Program: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Internship: Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH Initial Employment: Pediatric Psychologist, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI |
| Victoria Willard | Phipps / Conklin | 2011-2014 | Graduate Program: Duke University, Durham, NC Internship: Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH Initial Employment: Research Associate, Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| Alana Lopez | Porter | 2011-2013 | Graduate Program: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL Internship: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD Initial Employment: Clinical Psychologist, Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH |
| Heather (Gamble) Gammel | Ingerski / Crabtree | 2011-2012 | Graduate Program: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN Internship: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK Initial Employment: Pediatric Psychologist, Behavioral Science Consulting, Memphis, TN |
| Christina Hyon-Wynn | Crabtree | 2010-2011 | Graduate Program: Argosy University, Washington, DC Internship: Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI Initial Employment: Licensed Psychologist, Child & Family Associates of Greater Washington LLC, Falls Church, VA |
| Rebecca Foster | Klosky | 2010-2012 | Graduate Program: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA Internship: University of Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Winona State University, Winona, MN |
| Jennifer Lindwall | Phipps | 2010-2013 | Graduate Program: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI Internship: Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, University of Colorado-Denver/Children's Hospital of Colorado, Denver, CO |
| Linda M. Radbill | Crabtree | 2009-2011 | Graduate Program: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Internship: Sara A. Reed Children's Center, Erie, PA Initial Employment: Psychologist, General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, CA |
| Jody Nicholson | Tyc | 2009-2012 | Graduate Program: Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, IN Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL |
| Kendra Tannenbaum Parris | Crabtree | 2008-2010 | Graduate Program: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Internship: Children's Hospital of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN Initial Employment: Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| Natalie Williams | Phipps | 2008-2009 | Graduate Program: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS Internship: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN |
| Bryan B. Bushman | Crabtree | 2007-2008 | Graduate Program: Utah State University, Logan, UT Internship: Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA Initial Employment: Clinical Adolescent & Child Psychologist, McKay Dee Behavioral Health Institute, Ogden, UT |
| Elizabeth (Bowling) Lee | Justin Yopp | 2007-2008 | Graduate Program: University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL Internship: Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO Initial Employment: Clinical Psychologist, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
| Lisa (Shum) Kahalley | Tyc | 2007-2009 | Graduate Program: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN Internship: Duke University, Durham, NC Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX |