Neuropsychology continues to thrive through its efforts to provide neuropsychological services to diverse populations - and attend to issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It is increasingly important for our field to learn about the training and practice experiences of neuropsychologists from diverse and historically marginalized backgrounds. Asian neuropsychologists’ experiences offer our field a unique opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made with DEI-related considerations and the challenges with training and clinical practice in the context of the changing demographics of the United States and increasing service demands for Asian populations. Indeed, the number of Asian neuropsychologists is constantly growing, and our understanding of the complexities and nuances associated with working with Asian populations has significantly increased. Yet, there are several unique experiences, barriers, and training requirements of Asian neuropsychologists that are essential to address. It is thus important to understand the Asian colleagues’ experiences and insights, to enhance culturally informed neuropsychological services for persons of diverse Asian descent around the world and inform our work on DEI.
This symposium aims to amplify the voices and experiences of Asian neuropsychologists and neuropsychologists in training around the world. Speakers will span the Asian Neuropsychological Association Advocacy Committee, International Liaison Task Force, Optional Practice Training (OPT) Task Force, and the Chinese Special Interest Group. The first presentation will provide a review of the current state of Asian neuropsychologists (e.g., training experiences, clinical and academic trajectories, and professional roles and responsibilities). The second presentation will provide insight into the existing training models, practices, and frameworks for clinical neuropsychologists across Asia and propose a divergent training model that may facilitate the development of a more robust training framework for this group. The third presentation will examine the state of neuropsychology in one Asian population (Chinese) to offer insights about specific cultural factors and influences to advancing the field. The final presentation will summarize the challenges for international students nearing the end of their neuropsychology training, and discuss the striking limitations and barriers related to immigration-related issues significantly impacting this community. Barriers, gaps, and challenges that Asian neuropsychologists face will also be interspersed throughout the presentations. Each presentation will also offer future steps and strategies to address these difficulties and will close with a discussion of potential barriers to implementation. There will be an opportunity for discussion and questions at the end of the presentations.
Ashley Nguyen-Martinez, Children's Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado Medical School, Aurora, United States Iris Miao, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States Cardinal Do, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, United States Sofia Lesica, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, United States Jay Patel, Washington Permanente Medical Group, Seattle, United States Ananya Ruth, William James College, Newton, United States Julia Chen, Northwell Health, New York, United States
Maiko Sakamoto, Saga University, Saga, Japan Vigneswaran Veeramuthu, Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara, Malaysia & Society of Clinical Neuropsychology (Malaysia), Kota Damansara, Malaysia Yang Cheng, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan Poorselvi Palanisamy, Unified Brain Health Care, Chennai, India
Wen-Yu Cheng, Private Practice, Phoenix, United States George Lin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, United States Emily Sinyi Zhou, Department of Health Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, United States Yu-Ling Chang, Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan Esther Chin, NeuroMind Inc., Palatine, United States
Palak Lunia, Thomas Jefferson Medical Center, Philadelphia, United States Doris Hong, Salem Hospital Mass General Brigham, Boston, United States Iris Miao, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, United States Rinku Lalchandani, Samata Neuropsychological Services, Pacific Grove, United States Elizabeth Choi, University of California, San Francisco, United States Kritika Nayar, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, United States
