Director

Paul T. Cirino, Ph.D.

Dr. Cirino completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Houston, and his APA/Division 40 clinical internship at the Arizona Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson, in 1996. Subsequently he was the Kirk Dornbush postdoctoral fellow in developmental neuropsychology at Georgia State University. From 1998-2000, Dr. Cirino was a staff neuropsychologist in the Department of Neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. During that time, he was also appointed as Instructor in Medical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Cirino was subsequently a Clinical Research Psychologist and Associate Director of the Regents Center for Learning Disorders.

Dr. Cirino returned to the University of Houston as faculty in 2002 where he joined the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics. He was awarded tenure in 2013 in the Department of Psychology, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2018. Dr. Cirino has been continuously funded with grants from NIH, IES, and NSF for over 20 years. His grants and published work reflects interests in academic areas (reading and math), neurocognitive function (particularly executive function, attention, and processing speed), and his work examines both typical and neurodevelopmental populations. He has over 125 peer-reviewed Journal publications; his h-index is over 50, his i-10 index is over 110, and his research has been cited over 11,500 times. Dr. Cirino has edited two Special Issues (on math disability, on executive function), sits on multiple editorial boards, and is the former Editor-in-Chief of Learning and Individual Differences. He has been continuously licensed since 1998, and had specific appointments with several regional and national neuropsychological organizations, including 15 years on the board of the Houston Neuropsychological Society. 

In addition to research, Dr. Cirino is the director of the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic, which provides comprehensive evaluations for children with cognitive, learning, and behavioral issues. The clinic offers a connection between Dr. Cirino’s research and applied/practical issues experienced by children and their families. The clinic runs on a sliding scale, and serves as a practicum experience for his own and other child-focused graduate students.

Dr. Cirino is a diehard Cleveland football and baseball fan. He loves music of (most) all kinds, playing guitar, cooking, hanging with family, reading, and traveling. He is an avid walker, a terrible golfer (though enjoys this), and plays softball in a league.

Juliana Wall, B.S. (Joined DNL 2023)

Juliana is a first-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She is from Manitou Springs, Colorado and received her B.A. in Psychology from the Boston University in 2021. After graduation, she worked as a research coordinator at the Boston Children's Hospital Lab of Translational Neuroimaging, where her research focused on the neural underpinnings of autism and ADHD, as well as fMRI-based interventions for attention-related difficulties. Her current research interests center on the impact of cognitive functions, such as attention and processing speed, on academic outcomes in children with learning disabilities. In her free time, Juliana enjoys photography, learning foreign languages, and visiting restaurants and museums around Houston. 

Master’s Thesis (at UH, in progress): Check back soon!

Cristina Boada, M.A. (Joined DNL 2022)

Cristina is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She is from Denver, Colorado and received her B.S. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary in 2019. Following graduation, she worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado in the eXtraordinarY Kids Clinic as a research coordinator. There, she worked on several studies examining children with sex chromosome aneuploidy (e.g. Klinefelter syndrome, XYY, Trisomy X, etc.) and other comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders. After 2 years in that role, Cristina began graduate school and received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2022. Her current research interests involve exploring attention, executive functions, language development, and learning disabilities. In addition to her thesis, which focuses on the cognitive and non-cognitive factors of math performance in community college students, she is working with Dr. Cirino in the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic to provide neuropsychological evaluations to children and adolescents with a range of academic and cognitive concerns. Following graduate school, her goal is to become a pediatric clinical neuropsychologist. In her free time, Cristina enjoys singing, skiing (during trips home to Colorado), spending time with friends, and exploring new places around Houston.

Master’s Thesis (at UH, in progress): Check back soon!

Cassidy Salentine, B.A. (Joined DNL 2021)

Cassidy is a second-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She is from Luxemburg, WI and is a first-generation college student. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI in 2018. After graduating, she was a research assistant at the University of Chicago where she researched nonverbal communication and the role of gesture in learning. Her current research interests include understanding how cognitive processes and home environment predict language development and academic skills for children with learning disabilities. In addition to her thesis, which focuses on shared cognitive predictors for writing and math skills, she is now working on manuscripts on related topics both within the lab and with outside collaborators. In the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic, Cassidy currently works with Dr. Cirino to provide neuropsychological evaluations to children and adolescents with a range of academic and cognitive concerns. Following graduate school, her goal is to become a clinical neuropsychologist and work with individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. In her free time, Cassidy likes to play guitar, go to concerts, and bike around Houston.

Master’s Thesis (defended November 2023): Overlapping cognitive predictors for math and writing achievement

Abby Farrell, B.S. (Joined DNL 2020)

Abby is a third-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program with a concentration in neuropsychology. She received her B.S. in psychology and biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018. Following graduation, Abby worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, she coordinated studies on pediatric bipolar disorder and administered cognitive assessments to children and adults with a variety of psychiatric concerns, first sparking her interest in neuropsychology. Abby’s current research interests involve the intersections of executive functioning and attentional processes in learning disorders and difficulties. She is currently working on manuscripts on related topics within the lab and with outside collaborators, and just completed her thesis focusing on the interactions of executive functioning, attentional processes, basic abilities, and outcomes of reading. Abby also works with Dr. Cullen Gibbs at TIRR Memorial Hermann providing neuropsychological assessments to children and adolescents with a variety of concerns, and with Dr. Petra Duran at Texas Children’s Hospital conducting a brief behavioral intervention for preschool-aged children. In her free time, Abby enjoys running at the numerous green parks in Houston and playing sand volleyball.

Doctoral Dissertation (proposal defended October 2023): How mind wandering relates to reading in a second language

Master’s Thesis (defended August 2022): Interactions of Reading Skill, Working Memory, and Mind Wandering on Reading Comprehension