APPIC Program Code: 141316
One intern will be selected for this concentration.
The pediatric neuropsychology intern must have some background or special interest in assessment, consultation and intervention with pediatric medical populations. This intern spends the majority their time engaged in pediatric neuropsychological and clinical work
Program Staff
Pediatric Neuropsychology is composed of medical psychology faculty, post-doctoral fellows, interns, clinical psychology graduate students, psycho-diagnostic technicians and support staff who work in a hierarchical supervision model.
Didactics
Pediatric Neuropsychology hosts a monthly didactic covering topics specific to the concentration, including assessment training, overview of populations served, report writing techniques, and case conceptualization. Depending on specific interests, interns can also attend other didactics including crossover rounds, epilepsy conference, palliative care, transplant academia, etc.
Current research by pediatric neuropsychology faculty focuses on coping with chronic childhood illness and on the cognitive and behavioral changes associated with disease processes and treatment. Interns have the opportunity to participate in these projects.
Rotations
- Outpatient Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic (2-3 days)
- Child Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service (1 day)
- Pediatric Chronic Pain & Somatic Symptoms Program (1 day)
Rotation Descriptions
In the Outpatient Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic, interns assess patients’ neuropsychological and psychological changes secondary to disease processes and/or treatment regimen. The rotation may include evaluation of patients from the following clinics:
- Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
- Pediatric Neurology and Neurosurgery (Epilepsy Monitoring Unit; Autoimmune Brain Disease Clinic)
- Pediatric Genetics
- Undiagnosed Disease Network Program
Supervisors
The Child Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison (CL) service at Duke Children’s Hospital is a multidisciplinary team that includes psychologists, child psychiatrists, social work case manager, residents, fellows and medical students. The CL team serves patients throughout the Children’s Hospital with a broad range of conditions.
Consultations are initiated by members of a child’s medical or surgical team. Common reasons that consultation may be requested from psychology include:
- Adjustment to illness
- Coping with acute or chronic pain
- Assessment of emotional or behavioral concerns
- Family coping and support
- Treatment adherence
The intern may participate in initial consults or follow-up care for patients being followed on the service. All of the patients seen by a member of the CL team have been admitted as inpatients to the Children's Hospital.
If continuing mental health services would be helpful after a patient is discharged from a medical floor, they may be referred within Duke or provided with referrals for providers closer to home. Interns may have the option to provide outpatient therapy should the patient’s care remain within Duke.
Supervisors
The pediatric neuropsychology intern may have the opportunity to work in this multidisciplinary program serving youth with a variety of chronic pain conditions. The treatment team is composed of psychologists, physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, physical therapists and occupational therapists.
As part of this rotation, the intern provides initial evaluations as well as weekly CBT for chronic pain; participates in weekly case conferences; and serves as a consultant to other members of the treatment team as well as to patients’ schools. This outpatient clinic takes place at The Duke Child and Family Study Center.
Supervisor: Sarah O’Rourke, PhD

About 10% of concussion patients experience lingering symptoms. These long-term sufferers are the ones neuropsychologist Pete Duquette, PhD, usually sees. Duquette also conducts research aimed at identifying ways to develop more individualized treatment plans for concussions.