Kasey J. Escamilla graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Chinese. During her time at UT Austin, Kasey was a research assistant for the Mechanisms Underlying Neurocognitive Aging Lab. Her research interests include cultural neuropsychology and the intersection of culture, cognition, and aging. She hopes to conduct research that contributes to minimizing health disparities in brain health and improving neuropsychological assessment in culturally diverse populations. In the future, Kasey hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.

In her free time, Kasey enjoys tending to her garden, gaming, hanging out with her cat Dino, and reading fantasy novels.

Dr. Mirna Luz Arroyo Miranda aspires to combine her professional experiences as an attorney and epidemiologist in the creation of evidence-based public health policies that effect social change. Dr. Arroyo completed a bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus. She also obtained a Juris Doctor degree in 2000, being admitted into the legal practice in 2002. In 2018, she graduated from the Doctorate of Public Health in Epidemiology Program at Ponce Health Sciences with academic honors. Dr. Arroyo performed a 3-year fellowship at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the Food and Drug Administration where she assisted in the creation of the governance infrastructure and implementation of the “Medical Device Epidemiology Network” (MDEpiNet).

Since 2019, Dr. Arroyo has been an adjunct professor at the Public Health Program of the Ponce Health Sciences University, where she teaches graduate-level courses in epidemiology education and public health policy. She has also worked as an adjunct professor at the Ana G. Mendez University, teaching such courses as biostatistics and research methodology.

Dr. Arroyo’s main area of training is in physicians’ practices in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). She developed a novel instrument to assess primary care physicians’ beliefs and practices regarding ADRD using structural equation modeling techniques, and her work has earned her international recognition. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Arroyo has shifted her work focus into public health policy and management of the epidemic, performing comparative analysis of the management and policies in countries who are successfully managing the epidemic. In particular, her main focus of research is contact tracing as an effective tool to contain the disease, gather vital data, and improve cost-effectiveness of the epidemic response. Her latest publication on the topic, “El rastreo: arma poderosa contra el coronavirus,” was recently published in the El Nuevo Día newspaper.

Stephanie Torres is currently completing her predoctoral internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a Clinical Neuropsychology graduate student interested in neuropsychological functioning across the lifespan in diverse groups. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience and behavior from the University of California, San Diego in 2013. Her research interests are in the intersection of culture, cognition, and lifespan development in the context of health disparities. Some specific interests include: typical and atypical neurodevelopment, cross-cultural neuropsychology, early life predictors of late-life cognition, and resilience factors on the prediction of brain health/cognition in diverse groups. In the future, she hopes to obtain a tenure-track position at a top-tier research university, while also practicing as a bilingual (Spanish-English), bicultural neuropsychologist. Her long-term aims are to address the underutilization of mental health services in minority populations and assist in the development of culturally-sensitive neuropsychological assessments. In addition to this, she has a strong interest in addressing diversity issues in the field of clinical psychology and aims to work towards strengthening the support for graduate education and diversifying the psychology pipeline. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the Houston food scene with her corgis Churro and Choco.

Michelle Martinez is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at UH and belongs to the Neuropsychology concentration. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and minors in Anthropology and Bioethics. Her research interests include: cross-cultural neuropsychology, Alzheimer’s disease, and social determinants of health. More specifically, she is interested in taking an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on community engagement and research dissemination and developing culturally sensitive, valid assessments that accurately aid in the treatment outcomes of racially/ethnically diverse populations.

In her free time, Michelle likes to cook, journal, and hang out with her family and her dog. She also enjoys watching the Office, traveling, and listening to music.

Alexa S. Gonzalez is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at UH and belongs to the Neuropsychology concentration. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Behavior. Before coming to UH, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Miami’s ALS Center and then completed a Master of Science in Psychology at Villanova University. Currently, her research interests include cultural neuropsychology, early detection of memory decline in Hispanic/Latin American individuals, and neuroimaging. She has the goal of advocating for racially/ethnic diverse populations through assisting in the formulation and validation of culturally-sensitive neuropsychological assessments and aims to integrate factors of diversity and social justice into the field of clinical psychology.

In her free time, she enjoys learning about the food scene in Houston and taking walks around Hermann Park with her partner and her dog, Chewy. She also enjoys dancing, cooking, and adding her own twist to new cookie recipes.

Yenifer L. Morales, Undergraduate RA

Jai Sehgal, Undergraduate RA