Jeannette Iskander, PhD is currently the Chair of the AYA SIG. She previously served as the AYA Chair Elect from 2019-2020, and the SPP Division 54 Student Representative from 2018-2019. She recently completed her pediatric psychology internship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Jeannette is currently completing her Postdoctoral Fellowship in Adherence and Adjustment at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Her research interests include the transition of responsibility from parent to AYA, as well as understanding the role of stress and executive functioning as they relate to treatment adherence. Clinically, she enjoys doing C/L work on several services and working in multidisciplinary clinics.
JEANNETTE ISKANDER, PHD
CHAIR
LILA PEREIRA, PHD
PAST CHAIR
Dr. Lila Pereira is an assistant professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at New York Medical College and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. She received her PhD from Palo Alto University and completed her pre-doctoral internship in Child Clinical/Pediatric Psychology at MetroHealth Medical Center. Currently, Dr. Pereira works with Pediatric Hematology and Oncology patients. Her work has been a driving force in developing the AYA Oncology program at Maria Fareri and other psychosocial programing for her division. Dr. Pereira's research focuses on the utilization of peer support for patients and families facing Hematologic and Oncology diagnoses. She is especially interested in social media as a support tool. Dr. Pereira is also the Research Director of Families in Psychology Project.
MELISSA YOUNG, PSYD
CHAIR ELECT
Melissa Young, PsyD, is currently a Staff Psychologist within the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), where she is integrated in the Adolescent Medicine Primary Care Clinic. Prior to joining CCHMC, she was a Pediatric Psychology Post-Doctoral Clinical Fellow at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, where she completed a major rotation in the chronic pain program and minor rotations within the oncology and solid organ transplant programs. Previously, Melissa received clinical training at the Joint Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she worked with pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer, non-hematological disorders, or neurofibromatosis, and their siblings and caregivers. Melissa is interested in assessing and reducing the impact of healthcare disparities on pediatric patients with chronic health conditions.
JENNIFER ALLEN, PHD
INTERVENTIONS COMMITTEE
CO-CHAIR
Dr. Allen is a clinical psychologist and Clinical Faculty member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Allen’s clinical interests include pain management and somatic concerns, opioid misuse and abuse, eating behavior, and adolescent/young adult patients with hematological and oncology diagnoses. Dr. Allen collaborates on research projects and is primarily interested in investigation of nonpharmacological approaches to pain management and the influence of childhood illness on the development of psychological health and well-being. As part of the AYA SIG Leadership Board, Dr. Allen is co-chair of the Interventions committee and is working on a project to identify and collate research studies investigating interventions targeting AYA individuals with medical diagnoses or conditions. She has served in this role since 2018.
ANA EL-BEHADLI, PHD
INTERVENTION CO-CHAIR
Ana F. El-Behadli, PhD, recently completed a Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine. She will be joining the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and as a Pediatric Psychologist at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Ana has been honored to be involved with SPPAC in the past as part of the Student Advisory Board. Ana’s worked has focused on diversity issues in pediatric psychology, particularly cultural adaptations and dissemination of EBTs to Spanish-speaking pediatric patients and their caregivers. She is also interested in developing and evaluating transition supports for AYAs, particularly in pediatric transplant. In her spare time, Ana enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking with her dog, and exploring new restaurants.
AMY LANGE, MS
COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR
Amy is a fifth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research and clinical experiences have broadly focused on psychological impact of pediatric chronic health conditions. In particular, she is interested in the unique challenges and changes that adolescents and emerging adults with chronic health conditions face as they transition to adulthood. Amy has previously served as a Co-chair of the AYA SIG Policy Committee and is looking forward to stepping into the position of communications chair to help keep other Division 54 members informed of all of the great work we are continuing to do within the AYA SIG.
JENNIFER LINDWALL, PHD
Measurement Committee Co-Chair
Dr. Lindwall is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Her clinical work is primarily in a hospital-based school for children with significant medical issues, as well as in a multidisciplinary clinic for youth with multiple sclerosis. Research interests include assessing anxiety, depression, and quality of life in children with chronic health issues, as well development of interventions to promote adherence in adolescents with cystic fibrosis. As a Co-Chair of the Measurement Committee, we have focused on creating a database of assessments specifically relevant to AYA populations, and creating other resources for pediatric psychologists related to clinical assessment with AYA populations in pediatric settings.
ANN LANGTANGE, PHD
Measurement Committee Co-Chair
Ann Lantagne, PhD, received her doctorate in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Denver after completing her predoctoral internship at Boston Children’s Hospital. She recently finished her postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at Stanford University. Her research interests are focused on the role of social support for adolescents and young adults. Clinically, Ann is particularly interested in supporting AYAs and their families during the transition from pediatric to adult healthcare. In her free time, Ann enjoys hiking and enjoying the outdoors.
SIDDIKA MULCHAN, PSYD
POLICY COMMITTEE
CO-CHAIR
Siddika Mulchan is a Hematology/Oncology Psychologist at Connecticut Children's and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of
Medicine. She has the privilege of working with youth and young adults diagnosed with various cancers and blood disorders to improve their lives through inpatient consultation/liaison services and outpatient psychological intervention. She is passionate about working with underserved populations, including pediatric sickle cell disease, and her research interests include health care transition and the development of tools and interventions to facilitate this process.
FRANCES COOK, BS
POLICY COMMITTEE
CO-CHAIR
Frances Cooke, BA, is currently a Clinical Research Coordinator at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. She works primarily on a study in the Division of Allergy & Immunology, researching the experiences of adolescents with food allergy and their parents, adjustment to a food allergy diagnosis, and adherence to allergy management guidelines. Along with the two psychologists on the Allergy team, she has also worked on various other projects, including a parent mentoring program for parents of children newly diagnosed with food allergy. S he spends her free time on embroidery, yoga, and trying new recipes for her Instagram cooking page
Nicole Ruppe, M.S. is a fifth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Oklahoma State University under the mentorship of Ashley Clawson, Ph.D. Broadly, Nicole’s research interests focus in better understanding modifiable behaviors that impact adjustment and coping for adolescents and young adults with chronic medical conditions. Additionally, Nicole is interested in understanding the role of cultural factors for youth with chronic medical conditions.
NICOLE RUPPE, MS
STUDENT/TRAINEE
REPRESENTATIVE
WHO WE ARE
Meet our Team