Dr. James Hoelzle, PhD (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Hoelzle received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He completed his doctoral work in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toledo specializing in Assessment. He has attained extensive training in clinical neuropsychology through a two-year Neuropsychology Fellowship at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and Clinical Internship at Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, Illinois). Clinical interests primarily consist of evaluating individuals who are experiencing cognitive and/or psychological difficulties.
Dr. Hoelzle has conducted numerous studies investigating the core constructs evaluated by neuropsychological and personality instruments, and whether these factor structures are replicable across samples and consistent with clinical theories. He contributes to research investigating cognitive outcomes in mild traumatic brain injury (concussion), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and Covid-19. Broadly, the goal of his research is to identify which individuals are at risk of experiencing persisting neurocognitive symptoms. Dr. Hoelzle is also interested in how insufficient effort on neuropsychological measures and exaggerated emotional distress is identified in different clinical settings.
Select publications can be accessed HERE.
Mary Tait, M.S. (Graduate Student)
Mary Tait, M.S., is a doctoral candidate in the clinical psychology program. Her research interests focus on psychometric properties of psychological measures frequently used in juvenile justice evaluations. She is currently working on her dissertation focused on psychometric properties of the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory, Second Edition, in a justice involved adolescent population. Mary received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Marquette University. Her master’s thesis investigated the associations between women’s experiences of sexism, career aspirations, and self-doubt. In her free time, Mary likes to play volleyball, cuddle with her three cats, and do crafts with her wife, Betsy.
Mary Simons, M.S. (Graduate Student)
Mary Simons is a 5th year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She works as a research assistant in Dr. James Hoelzle’s Neuropsychology and Personality lab, where her research primarily focuses on investigating the psychometric properties of neuropsychological tests. Mary received her bachelor’s degree at Marquette and has worked with Dr. Hoelzle since undergrad. She additionally works as a research assistant for Dr. Lindsay Nelson at the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Neurosurgery department for the Center for Neurotrauma research. Her primary research in the Neurotrauma center assesses clinical outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), as well as novel approaches to diagnosing and categorizing TBI. She is currently completing her dissertation investigating acute latent neuropsychological profiles of pediatric TBI using data from the Children’s Hospital Wisconsin (CHW) pediatric neuropsychological clinic. In her free time, Mary likes to play pickleball, read, and try new restaurants and breweries.
Laura McGuigan, B.A. (Graduate Student)
Laura is a 3rd year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. Her research interests focus on the neuropsychological and emotional sequelae of neurological disorder and injury. In particular, she is interested in the role of neuropsychological assessment in intervention and treatment planning. She is currently working on a project examining the use of cognitive assessments to inform the heterogeneity of ADHD in adults. Before beginning graduate school at Marquette, Laura worked as a psychometrist in a subacute rehabilitation center. Laura received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In her free time, she likes to try new restaurants, go on walks by Lake Michigan, and spend time with her cat, Lily.
Samantha Bradley, B.S. (Graduate Student)
Sammy is a 1st year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She earned a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022 and spent the following year as a clinical research coordinator studying Alzheimer’s disease and successful aging at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Her research interests focus on neuropsychological assessment and studying factors that contribute to healthy brain aging. Outside of school, Sammy likes to get outside for walks or runs, cook, and spend time with friends and family.
Undergraduate Students
Olga Patryarcha
Victoria Zeisig
Caroline Comito
Téa Graham
Malinee Lamont
T. J. Kane
Ryghtious Frazier
Lab Alumni
Dr. Indrani Thiruselvam, PhD
Dr. Erin Quasney, PhD
Dr. David Marra, PhD
Dr. Kathryn Ritchie, PhD
Dr. Elisabeth Vogt, PhD
Dr. Morgan Nitta, PhD