Expert Team in Pediatric Medical Psychology
Faculty and Staff Psychologists
- Brosbe, Micah, Ph.D.
- Chiappini, Erika, Ph.D.
- Garofano, Jeffery, Ph.D.
- Gill, Andrew, Ph.D.
- Luedke, Jessica, Ph.D.
- Quezada, Constance (Austin), Ph.D.
- Radtke, Sarah, Ph.D.
- Reynolds, Elizabeth, Ph.D.
- Seegan, Paige, Ph.D.
- Sommerhalder, Mackenzie, Ph.D.
Current Fellows
Affiliated Faculty
Faculty and Staff Psychologists
Micah Brosbe, Ph.D.
Dr. Micah Brosbe is a staff psychologist and part-time assistant professor with the PMP Program. His clinical and research interests include working with interdisciplinary teams to address adherence, medical coping, disruptive behavior, anxiety, and traumatic stress in children and families affected by acute and chronic medical conditions. Dr. Brosbe is the primary behavioral consultant with the Pediatric Heart Center at Johns Hopkins, where he works with the heart failure/transplant team, electrophysiology program, single ventricle clinic, and Adult Congenital Heart Disease program. He also conducts neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and adolescents with congenital heart disease and is on the leadership committee for the Pediatric Cardiology Special Interest Group with the Society of Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Brosbe has a special interest in childhood traumatic stress and is a co-founder of the Medical Traumatic Stress Special Interest Group of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. He has experience providing behavior management training for caregivers, including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), as well as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), treatment of tic disorders, and psychological evaluations. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Brosbe has conducted research on professional issues, including antisemitism, bias, and Jewish identity in psychology. He completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale and his Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Boston University. He completed his predoctoral internship with the Pediatric Psychology Consultation Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as his 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at Kennedy Krieger in the Behavior Management Clinic and Pediatric Psychology Consultation Program.
Erika Chiappini, Ph.D.
Dr. Erika Chiappini is an assistant professor in the PMP Program. She serves as the Director of Training for the PMP Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Dr. Chiappini specializes in the assessment and treatment of children and teens with anxiety disorders and chronic and acute medical conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders. She is the primary behavioral consultant in the multidisciplinary Chronic Constipation and Bowel Management Clinics and Gastrointestinal Functional Treatment (GIFT) Clinic. She provides cognitive-behavioral and behavioral interventions for non-adherence to medical regimens, adjustment to diagnoses, pain management, sleep, anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges. She enjoys consulting with multidisciplinary treatment teams and conducting assessments with children and their families. Her research interests center on factors associated with successful treatment outcomes in youth anxiety and youth coping with chronic medical conditions. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Temple University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Children’s National Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship in the PMP Program at Johns Hopkins University.
Jeffery Garofano, Ph.D.
Dr. Garofano is a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Garofano provides cognitive-behavioral intervention for children and adolescents with psychiatric concerns and/or complex medical conditions. He specializes in supporting treatment adherence and health congruent behaviors for youth with hypertension, urologic concerns, and sleep disorders. In terms of research, Dr. Garofano is examining the relationship between sleep, electronics use at night, and cardiovascular functioning. Dr. Garofano received his doctorate in School Psychology, specializing in Pediatric School Psychology, from the University of South Florida. In addition to working in the schools, during his doctoral training Dr. Garofano trained on an inpatient neurorehabilitation unit supporting veterans as they recovered from traumatic brain injuries, with a focus on sleep assessment and sleep promoting environmental accommodations. He completed his predoctoral internship through the Illinois School Psychology Consortium in the Psychological Service Center – Medical track. During internship, he provided psychological services in the primary care, local school district, and contributed to the development and implementation of several public health initiatives. On internship he also was part of an advanced clinical team that consulted on the most psychiatrically and medically complicated patients in the local community. He completed his two year postdoctoral clinical fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Andrew Gill, Ph.D.
Dr. Gill is an assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is the director of PMP services for the Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology Consult Service and also directs behavioral medicine services for the Pediatric Burn and Trauma Programs. Dr. Gill specializes in providing evidence-based psychological and behavioral interventions to children, adolescents, and their caregivers while they are medically hospitalized, with a particular focus on promoting trauma-informed care, reducing procedural distress for patients, and improving adjustment to new illness or injury. He is interested in studying factors associated with risk and resilience for youth after experiencing traumatic injuries and how psychologists can better care for youth and their families during medical hospitalizations. Dr. Gill received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont and completed his predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute through the Pediatric Psychology Consultation Program. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology, with emphasis on pediatric consultation/liaison psychology, at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Jessica Luedke, Ph.D.
Dr. Jessica Luedke is a pediatric neuropsychologist in Pediatric Medical Psychology. She specializes in providing neuropsychological evaluations for patients from infancy through young adulthood, with expertise in adapting assessment approaches to each patient’s sensory, developmental, and medical needs. Dr. Luedke’s clinical training spans inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient neuropsychological evaluation, including specialized work with children with hearing and/or vision differences as well as children managing complex medical conditions. Her clinical interests include understanding cognitive and developmental functioning in children with acute and chronic medical, psychological, and neurological conditions and using neuropsychological assessment to guide school, home, and medical planning. Her research interests include adaptive assessment, sensory differences, and executive functioning. Dr. Luedke earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She completed her doctoral internship in Neuropsychology Rehabilitation and Pediatric Psychology Consultation at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She subsequently completed her postdoctoral training in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
Constance (Austin) Quezada, Ph.D.
Dr. Constance (Austin) Quezada is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Quezada is the primary behavioral consultant for the Pediatric Oncology Services for bone marrow transplant and survivorship clinics. She enjoys providing evidence-based interventions to both children and their families, particularly for those experiencing cancer and blood related disorders or trauma. Dr. Quezada’s research currently focuses on trauma informed care, sexual violence, and systemic interventions to enhance resilience in vulnerable populations. Dr. Quezada earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from University of North Carolina Charlotte. She completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, FL and her postdoctoral fellowship in the PMP Program at Johns Hopkins.
Sarah Radtke, Ph.D.
Dr. Sarah Radtke is an assistant professor in the PMP Program. She specializes in providing assessment and treatment services for youth in need of acute care in the Psychology Bridge Clinic and also works closely with the Pediatric Burn Program and Pediatric Rheumatology Department providing evidence-based interventions to promote adherence to medical recommendations and facilitate adjustment to illness and injury for patients and their family members. Dr. Radtke also provides cognitive and behavioral interventions for patients with a variety of emotional and behavioral challenges and much of her outpatient work focuses on supporting patients and caregivers who are experiencing elevated symptoms of anxiety in the context of food allergies and anaphylaxis. Dr. Radtke earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA. She completed her predoctoral internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH and her postdoctoral fellowship in the PMP Program at Johns Hopkins University.
Elizabeth Reynolds, Ph.D.
Dr. Liz Reynolds is a professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She serves as the Director of the PMP Program within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Reynolds received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2011. She completed her pre-doctoral internship training at Alpert Medical School of Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium. Research and clinical interests focus on 1) patient safety, quality, and behavioral programming within youth psychiatric acute care and 2) social-contextual and self-regulatory factors associated with adolescent health risk behaviors. She has led efforts to develop, implement, and disseminate Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to reduce the use of seclusion, restraint, and PRN use in acute psychiatric care settings (i.e., inpatient and day hospital services). She completed the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute patient safety and quality improvement leadership academy and is a member of the Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence.
Paige Seegan, Ph.D.
Dr. Paige Seegan is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She serves as the Director of Behavior Medicine Services for the Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Pediatric Dialysis Program and is a behavioral health consultant in the Pediatric Rheumatology Multidisciplinary Clinic. She also serves as the subaward PI and Clinical Trainer for a HRSA behavioral workforce grant aimed at expanding Maryland’s BHIPP Co-Location program, which provides training in evidence-based mental health screening and intervention to master's level behavioral health interns co-located in primary care settings across rural and underserved areas of Maryland. Dr. Seegan received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Texas Tech University and completed her predoctoral internship training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Prior to completing her clinical fellowship in the PMP Program at Johns Hopkins, she completed a research fellowship focused on pediatric health disparities at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Seegan specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults with acute and chronic medical conditions. She enjoys consulting and working closely with multidisciplinary treatment teams to help promote adherence to medical regimens and patient and family coping with pediatric chronic illness and related disabilities. Broadly, her research interests are focused on the multi-level factors that contribute to disparities in pediatric health outcomes, as well as ways to improve access to high-quality mental health care.
Mackenzie Sommerhalder, Ph.D.
Dr. Mackenzie Sommerhalder is an assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of child, adolescents, and their families requiring intermediate and acute levels of psychiatric care. She specifically works closely within multidisciplinary treatment teams as the primary psychologist and behavioral consultant in the pediatric emergency department, the Child and Adolescent Day Hospital, and the Bridge Clinic Research and clinical interests broadly include: emergency department diversion, behavioral parent training in acute and intermediate care settings, improving measurement-based care in youth partial hospitalization programs, staff training in crisis intervention and prevention, and improving hospital-to-school transitions.
Dr. Mackenzie Sommerhalder is an assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of child, adolescents, and their families requiring intermediate and acute levels of psychiatric care. She specifically works closely within multidisciplinary treatment teams as the primary psychologist and behavioral consultant in the pediatric emergency department, the Child and Adolescent Day Hospital, and the Bridge Clinic Research and clinical interests broadly include: emergency department diversion, behavioral parent training in acute and intermediate care settings, improving measurement-based care in youth partial hospitalization programs, staff training in crisis intervention and prevention, and improving hospital-to-school transitions. Dr. Sommerhalder earned her B.A. in Psychology from Creighton University and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She completed her predoctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute in the Behavior Management Clinic and the Pediatric Psychology Consultation Program, and her postdoctoral fellowship in the PMP Program at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Prior to returning to Johns Hopkins, Dr. Sommerhalder was an assistant professor and served as the Director of Acute Pediatric Psychological Services at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Current Fellows
Navneet Kaur, Ph.D.
Dr. Navneet Kaur is a first-year postdoctoral fellow in the Pediatric Medical Psychology Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with concentration in Child/ Adolescents from Virigina Commonwealth University. Dr. Kaur completed her APA- accredited predoctoral internship at Children’s National Hospital, where she provided integrated behavioral health interventions across pediatric primary care, consultation- liaison, inpatient psychiatry, interdisciplinary medical clinics and conducted executive functioning assessments. Her research thus far has focused on implementation science with a particular focus on accessibility and sustainment of evidence-based programs and practices in school settings. In the PMP program, she is most excited to provider interventions and assessment in multidisciplinary medical clinics.
Abigail Kukay, Ph.D.
Dr. Abigail Kukay is a first-year postdoctoral fellow in the Pediatric Medical Psychology Program. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Mississippi State University. Dr. Kukay completed her predoctoral internship in Pediatric Psychology at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, where she provided a wide variety of integrated behavioral health care to inpatient and outpatient populations including consultation-liaison services, neuropsychological assessment, and evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions. Dr. Kukay’s research has focused primarily on how having a chronic illness impacts the individual, family unit, and related psychosocial variables.
Sophia Siciliano, Psy.D.
Dr. Sophia Siciliano is a second-year postdoctoral fellow in the Pediatric Medical Psychology Program. She earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Palo Alto University-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. Dr. Siciliano completed her predoctoral internship in the pediatric psychology track at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, where she provided integrated behavioral health interventions across pediatric primary care, consultation-liaison, and neuropsychological assessment services. Dr. Siciliano has a particular interest in the intersection of suicidality and medical conditions, as well as gender affirming care. Her previous research has focused on crisis intervention, pediatric oncology, stress, identity, and adolescent depression.
Affiliated Faculty
Lindsay Borden, Ph.D.
Dr. Borden is a licensed psychologist specializing in evidence-based care for children, adolescents, young adults, and their families. Dr. Borden received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware and M.S. from Loyola University Maryland. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Missouri before returning to Maryland for her clinical internship at the University of Maryland Medical Center and one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHU SOM), Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. From 2017-2021, Dr. Borden was a full-time faculty member at the JHU SOM providing clinical services, conducting research, and teaching psychology and psychiatry trainees. As a member of the Pediatric Medical Psychology (PMP) team, she served as the primary behavioral consultant for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Pediatric Rheumatology and was the behavioral director for the Pediatric Multidisciplinary Chronic Constipation Clinic. While no longer providing clinical services, Dr. Borden continues to focus on research and training within Pediatric Medical Psychology.
Rick Ostrander, Ed.D.
Dr. Ostrander joined the faculty in 2003. Previously, he was an elementary school teacher, school psychologist and on the faculty at University of Minnesota and Georgetown University. He also was an AAAS Congressional Science Fellow and served in the Ways and Means Committee, where he played a significant role in shaping landmark mental health parity legislation. Since arriving at Hopkins, he has greatly expanded the role of psychology within the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics. He founded the PMP program and its Post-Doctoral Fellowship training program. During his tenure, the program expanded from a single faculty member to a professional staff of ten that includes faculty, staff, and post-doctoral fellows. Members of the PMP program are assigned to the child psychiatry inpatient and day hospital service. In addition, the program is integrated with over 20 pediatric medical clinics (e.g., oncology, urology, GI, burn, nephrology, surgery, dermatology). His research was one of the first efforts to examine the relationship between ADHD and comorbid internalizing disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety). More recently, his research has focused on the intersection between medical illness and psychological considerations.
Carisa Parrish, Ph.D.
Dr. Parrish is a faculty member at Johns Hopkins in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is the Director of the Pediatric Health Psychology programs, Co-Director of the Pediatric Medical Psychology program, and Training Director of the postdoctoral child/pediatric psychology fellowship program. Dr. Parrish specializes in improving emotion regulation in children and adolescents. Her clinical interests emphasize practicing and promoting evidence-based care, including parent management training for childhood noncompliance, cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth anxiety/depression, and acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions to improve self-regulation. She is the director of behavior medicine services for the Pediatric Burn Center (Director: Alejandro Garcia, MD), Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Dialysis Program (Director: Alicia Neu, MD), Division of Pediatric Dermatology (Director: Anna Grossberg, MD), and Center for Sweat Disorders (Director: Malcolm Brock, MD).
Dr. Parrish received her doctorate in Developmental and Clinical Psychology from the University of Maine. She completed her predoctoral internship training at the Children’s Hospital at Stanford & Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, CA. She completed a postdoctoral clinical fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University Division of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.