Tyler Zink, Ph.D., ABPP/CN
President-Elect

Dr. Tyler Zink is a board certified clinical neuropsychologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Boston University. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Boston Consortium for Clinical Psychology, focusing in Neuropsychology at the Boston VA. His fellowship in Neuropsychology was through Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and BIDMC. Currently, he serves as the Practicum Training Coordinator for Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry at BIDMC. His clinical interests include aging and dementia, neurodevelopmental disorders, and the impact of mental illness on cognition.

Jeff Drayer, Ph.D.
Past President

Dr. Jeff Drayer is a licensed psychologist and Certified Health Services Provider. Dr. Drayer obtained his bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from Concordia College – Bronxville, New York and his master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Drayer’s training includes a two-year specialized post-doctoral fellowship in developmental neuropsychology with children, adolescents, and young adults. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Terry Children Psychiatric Center in Wilmington, Delaware working with children and adolescents. Dr. Drayer’s training also includes placements at the adult Behavioral Neurology department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Northeastern University’s Disability Resource Center working with college students with learning disabilities, and at The Shattuck Hospital working with young adults with severe psychiatric disabilities. He also has extensively worked with preschoolers and children with autism, which was the topic of his graduate research. Prior to starting his own practice, Dr. Drayer worked as a developmental neuropsychologist for several years at a private group practice in the Boston Metro area.
Dr. Drayer specializes in assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and consultation for children, adolescents, young adults, and families impacted by: developmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD); learning disabilities; ADHD; medical illnesses; and other neuro-developmental and psychiatric disorders. He provides neuropsychological, psychological, and developmental evaluations for toddlers, children, adolescents, and young adults.
 

Ilana Reife, Ph.D.
Treasurer

Ilana Reife, PhD is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children’s Neuropsychological Services. She completed her undergraduate studies at Lehigh University. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Illinois Institute of Technology and completed her predoctoral internship at Children’s Hospital of Minnesota, focusing on pediatric psychology and pediatric neuropsychology. Dr. Reife’s postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology was completed at Children’s Neuropsychological Services. She works with toddlers, children, adolescents and young adults with a wide range of medical (i.e., genetic disorders, prematurity, concussion), developmental (i.e., Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, learning disorders) and psychological conditions (i.e., anxiety or depression). Her evaluations are child and family-centered and emphasize learning about a child’s unique strengths and areas of vulnerability in order to provide a plan to facilitate a child’s positive developmental trajectory.

Catherine Bell, Ph.D.
Member-At-Large

Dr. Catherine Bell is a developmental neuropsychologist, a licensed psychologist, and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Human Services at Lesley University, followed by a master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology was completed at Northeastern University in 2009, where her graduate research was on the impact of learning disabilities on mental health.

Dr. Bell’s predoctoral training at McLean Hospital and Franciscan Children’s Hospital included group and individual psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults suffering from severe psychiatric disorders. She also worked for two years in the Watertown, MA public school system, conducting intellectual, academic, and psychological testing with students in elementary, middle, and high school.

As a staff psychologist with the McLean Hospital College Mental Health Program, Dr. Bell collaborated with students and families to improve their college readiness skills. She then left her hospital post to start a private practice, providing psychotherapy and consultation to adolescents and young adults.

Dr. Bell is currently in private practice in the office of Dr. Jeff Drayer, with locations in Easton and Wellesley.

Katherine Bradbury, Ph.D.
Member-At-Large

Kathryn Bradbury, PhD is a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children's Neuropsychological Services, a private practice in Andover, MA. She earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in Pediatric Neuropsychology and her Bachelor’s in Neuroscience from Colgate University. Dr. Bradbury completed her clinical internship at the University of Minnesota Medical School/Masonic Children’s Hospital in pediatric neuropsychology and psychotherapy. She then completed her two-year pediatric neuropsychology fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University/Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, with a dual-focus in medically complex presentations and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic assessment. Her primary areas of clinical specialization include early childhood assessment, ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and complex medical presentations, including epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. 

 

Susan Marakovitz
Member-At-Large

Susan Marakovitz, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with an expertise in neurodevelopmental and
neuropsychological assessment. Currently, she provides evaluation, educational and consultation services
at Neurodevelopmental and Educational Services (NES), a private neuropsychology practice in
Brookline, MA. She is also an Associate Psychologist in the Center for Child Development/NICU
Follow-up Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In this setting, she evaluates, provides clinical
care and contributes to research with children ages 12-60 months old who were born prematurely and/or
experienced perinatal complications.
Dr. Marakovitz has many years of experience conducting evaluations and assisting the families of
children ranging in age from infancy through young adulthood. However, her specialty is working with
young children who have developmental challenges and disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders,
learning disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, global developmental delay, and genetic
disorders as well as complex special needs due to overlapping developmental, medical and/or psychiatric
conditions.She has also been appointed to research positions at several Boston area universities and Harvard- affiliated hospitals. Her research work focused on improving the lives of young children at-risk through
early and more accurate detection of developmental delays, autism and behavioral/emotional problems
and better understanding of the developmental trajectories of internalizing, externalizing and
neurodevelopmental problems and disorders. She has also given presentations and contributed to peer- reviewed articles and book chapters on these topics as well as comprehensive assessment models.Dr. Marakovitz obtained a joint doctoral degree in clinical and developmental psychology from the
University of Pittsburgh. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and Judge Baker Children’s Center (JBCC) and fellowship training in the DevelopmentalMedicine Center at BCH. Subsequently, she held clinical staff positions at BCH, JBCC and a multi-
disciplinary pediatric private practice with a neuropsychology focus.

Eva Jansiewicz, Ph.D.
Member-at- Large

Dr. Jansiewicz is a pediatric neuropsychologist who completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology/Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University in 2008. She has trained at a number of hospital settings, including the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Children’s Seashore House (now Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (focusing on adult rehabilitation), St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and the Shepherd Center (focusing on brain and spinal cord injury). She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Marcus Autism Center focusing on Applied Behavior Analysis for language, learning, behavioral improvement, and feeding. Dr. Jansiewicz completed her post-doctoral training in private practice in the Boston area and has worked in private practice for the past ten plus years. She recently founded her own company, Collaborative Child Neuropsychology, in November 2022. Dr. Jansiewicz is experienced in working with children and young adults with a variety of developmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorders, language and learning disorders, ADHD, global developmental delay, and complex medical/neurological conditions. She also has expertise in working with children and young adults who have experienced developmental trauma and mental health challenges. Dr. Jansiewicz most enjoys partnering with families to help coordinate services for their children over the course of many years. 

 

Melanie Robinson Findlay, Student Member

Melanie Robinson Findlay is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at William James College, concentrating in Neuropsychology and Forensic Psychology. She has trained at several neuropsychology sites in Massachusetts and will be completing her pre-doctoral internship at Devereux Massachusetts. Melanie is a clinical social worker at heart and has dedicated her career to working with a diverse range of clinical populations in corrections, community mental health,academia, and the Juvenile Court Clinic. Melanie’s work has always been centered around fostering empowerment and promoting advocacy for populations that felt powerless within the systems thatprovided their care. Melanie believes that though no one can predict outcomes, change happens when providers foster ethnocultural empathy that promotes growth and understanding. Her current research and clinical interests include racial health disparities, cross-cultural neuropsychology, and establishing updated normative data for racially and ethnically minoritized groups. Melanie is a member of the MNS Diversity Committee and strives to contribute insight and data that will continue to move neuropsychology towards providing equitable care to racially and ethnically minoritized populations.

 

Ariel Vernadakis,
Student Member

Ariel Vernadakis is a dynamic researcher and mental health counselor working with Dana Farber’s Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care as a Research Assistant. With a strong academic background in Health Psychology (BS from MCPHS University) and Mental Health Counseling (MSMHC from Suffolk University), Ariel brings a multifaceted approach to the research world. Ariel’s academic journey has provided them with a deep understanding of the intricate connections between psychological factors and health outcomes. Ariel’s knowledge extends beyond the academic realm, as she has also gained valuable experience working with children in school-based counseling settings and as a clinical psychometrician. Ultimately, Ariel aspires to combine psychology and public health to mitigate the burden of childhood adversities and promote healthy development in community settings.