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I was raised in a large
Catholic family in rural areas of western New York and western
Pennsylvania. Church traditions
and family unity were bedrocks of my development and continue
to sustain me today. My initial interest in Psychology
was the lure of being able to explain why people do what they
do. I also wanted to learn the extent to which behavior
could be predicted and ultimately changed. In my
undergraduate program at Gannon University I studied psychology,
philosophy, and biology. From there I entered a master’s
program in Clinical Psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
where I was exposed to the core elements of clinical psychology
and developed a strong interest in clinical neuropsychology. I
completed a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Florida Tech. While
there I was able to concentrate more on neuropsychology worked
on an inpatient psychiatric service throughout my training.
I selected an internship with the U.S. Navy at the National
Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. I was newly married
and we were expecting our first child by the completion of
internship and the cross country drive to our first duty station
in San Diego. I directed an outpatient clinic serving
primarily the recruit commands for the Navy and Marine Corps. I
had hoped to begin a fellowship in neuropsychology by the conclusion
of that tour, but God indicated that other plans were about
to unfold. The pickings were good at that time, so we
decided on a tour in southern Spain. Our second daughter
was born by then, and we all enjoyed living within Andalucía
and being able to travel in Europe over the next two years. I
worked in the naval hospital’s mental health unit and
was the clinical director of a 20-bed substance abuse unit. I
also began teaching undergraduate Psychology courses for the
University of Maryland’s European Division.
Our journey then took an abrupt change when the tour was cut
short and I was asked to be a consultant to a special warfare
command in Virginia Beach. In addition to the culture
shock of returning to suburban America, this was to be my first
and only non-medical tour as a psychologist in the Navy. After
learning how to best juggle sometimes competing roles as professional
consultant and team member, I was given a real-world education
as to how Navy and Army special forces performed their roles
and interacted with numerous government agencies. I had
opportunities to travel a great deal and participate in many
activities uncommon for psychologists. In addition, I
received specialized training in areas as diverse as crisis
management, hostage negotiation, survival training, and performance
enhancement.
Our prayers were answered at the completion of that tour and
I was granted a two-year fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology
at the University of Virginia. Following an outstanding
experience under the tutelage of renowned mentors, I was transferred
to the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth where I completed
the second half of my Navy career. My initial roles at
the medical center were as staff neuropsychologist and student/intern/resident
supervision on inpatient and cognitive assessment rotations. As
a collateral duty, I directed the region’s “Special
Psychiatric Rapid Intervention Team” that responded to
regional and national crises, ranging from unexpected deaths
to tragedies such as TWA 800 and the bombing of the USS Cole. Within
the medical center, I next became the Department Head of the
Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program that included an 80-bed
residential unit and three outpatient clinics. By 2003
I returned to chair the Psychology Department and its APA internship
program. I remained an active neuropsychologist, but
also increased my knowledge of executive medicine. By
then I had been co-authoring peer reviewed articles, book chapters,
and presentations in the areas of mild head injury, ethics
in neuropsychology, and substance abuse. My final project
in the Navy was to develop an integration program in which
psychologists were trained to provide interventions and consult
with family physicians, nurses, and physician assistants within
the primary care clinic setting. Before retiring from
active service in November 2006, I was able to deploy in service
of Operation Iraqi Freedom aboard the carrier USS Theodore
Roosevelt for a brief period and with the U.S. Marines for
six months at Al Taqqadum in Iraq.
God has blessed me with my family and career. I am grateful
to many supportive individuals throughout my life, and now
thank God and Regent University for the opportunity to participate
in the mission of its doctoral psychology program. I
happily continue to learn from my mentors, colleagues, students
and patients. I am currently scheduled to teach Biological
Bases of Behavior, Personality Assessment, Neuropsychology,
and Practica Courses, and hope to continue applied research
in the areas of clinical neuropsychological and personality
assessment.
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