Rachael Ellison, PhD

Dr. Ellison is a clinical neuropsychologist who aims to intersect cognitive functioning with issues related to systemic inequities and social determinants of health.

Ellison is a clinical neuropsychologist and researcher, with expertise in applied neuropsychological research with a social and racial justice focus. Prior to her training in neuropsychology, her research and practice focused on issues related to social justice and social determinants of health (e.g., cultural competence, diversity, racial privilege, etc.). With Dr. Ellison’s current research, she aims to continue to intersect clinical neuropsychology with social and racial justice through her Socially Conscious Lab. Dr. Ellison’s research and publications also focus on professional issues in the field of clinical neuropsychology; women as participants in neuropsychological research; and culturally responsive adaptations to cognitive rehabilitation protocols.

Ellison completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology through the two-year APA neuropsychology specialty accredited fellowship at Edward Hines Jr., VA Hospital (with specialized rotations in inpatient/outpatient neuropsychology, TBI, cognitive rehabilitation, and health promotion/disease prevention), and clinical psychology internship at the VA San Diego Healthcare System (with specialized rotations in neuropsychology, TBI, cognitive rehabilitation, and PTSD). She received her PhD in Clinical/Community Psychology from DePaul University. Prior to joining RFUMS, Dr. Ellison was a faculty member in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Dr. Ellison is the Past Chair of the Women in Neuropsychology (WIN) Committee of the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN; APA Division 40), as well as APA Council Representative for Division 40. She was elected as a member at large for the Association for Doctoral Education in Clinical Neuropsychology (ADECN). Dr. Ellison is active in private practice as a clinical neuropsychologist where she conducts comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations as well as cognitive rehabilitation. She was one of the inaugural editorial fellows for Neuropsychology’s Early Career Editorial Fellowship. Dr. Ellison was nominated and accepted to Northwestern University’s Council of 100 (membership by invitation only).

Are You a Prospective Graduate Student? Dr. Ellison will not be reviewing applications for the Clinical Psychology PhD program for the 2026-2027 academic year. Please note that to remain unbiased in the review of applications and to be equitable across all applicants, it is our department’s policy to not meet individually with applicants prior to our PhD Interview Day. However, if you have a specific question that cannot be answered through our webpage and would influence your decision to apply, you are welcome to reach out with brief questions.

Graduate Students

	Karen Basurto Karen Basurto is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, pursuing the Neuropsychology Track. Her clinical and research interests center on culturally and linguistically responsive neuropsychological assessment, with particular emphasis on Spanish-speaking and Latino populations. Her work examines how linguistic, cultural, sociodemographic, and psychosocial factors influence cognitive and functional assessment, with interests spanning bilingualism, adaptive functioning, cognitive and performance validity, neurodegenerative disorders, and health disparities. She has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and national conference presentations addressing neuropsychological assessment across diverse clinical populations. Karen has extensive experience providing neuropsychological assessment in both English and Spanish across academic medical centers and private clinical settings, working with diverse neurological, medical, psychiatric, and developmental populations. Beyond her clinical and research work, Karen serves as Student Representative-Elect for the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS) Student Association Committee, where she represents student and trainee perspectives and contributes to programming, outreach, and professional development initiatives. She is passionate about mentorship, community engagement, and advancing equitable neuropsychological services for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
	Jared Cherry Jared is a fourth-year Clinical Psychology/Neuropsychology PhD student, an advanced neuropsychology extern at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and an advanced clinical psychology extern at Chicago ADHD Associates. His research interests center on the application of neuropsychology and quantitative methods to neurosurgical contexts, particularly presurgical assessment and postsurgical outcome monitoring. His recent work includes the use of resting-state and task-based functional MRI (fMRI) for presurgical language mapping in patients with epilepsy, as well as mixture modeling and latent profile analysis in adult ADHD research. Broadly, his research aims to integrate neuroimaging, quantitative psychology, and neuropsychological assessment.
	Hunter Crowton, MS Graduate Research Assistant Dr. Ellison Primary Clinical/Research Advisee Hunter is a first-year Clinical Counseling Master’s student on the research track at RFUMS. His main research interests integrate neuropsychology, geropsychology, and multicultural factors such as bilingualism, cultural differences, discrimination, and racial health disparities. He is also interested in studying the effects of cognitive factors on relationships. Prior to graduate work, Hunter studied at Utah State University, where he engaged in research that intersected functional neuroimaging with human development and family studies. Outside of research, Hunter loves finding new dishes to cook, binge-watching shows with his wife, and organizing game nights with friends.
	Janelli Rodriguez Janelli is a third-year clinical psychology PhD student on the neuropsychology track at RFUMS. Before graduate school, Janelli received her BA in Cognitive Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis, also minoring in Latin American Studies. Her research interests include racial disparities in dementia and cognitive outcomes, neuropsychological assessment, and cognitive rehabilitation in diverse populations, with a particular interest in Spanish-speaking communities. She is also interested in examining clinical and neuropathological correlates of cognitive and neurobehavioral functioning. Beyond her research and clinical training, Janelli is passionate about increasing the representation and engagement of historically underrepresented communities in research. She advances these efforts through her role as a New2Neuropsychology Outreach Ambassador and through community-based volunteer work.
	Thomas A. Sedgwick, MA Thomas is a volunteer research assistant and has been involved with Dr. Ellison’s Socially Conscious Lab since 2023. He received his BS in Neuroscience with a specialization in behavioral/systems at The Ohio State University and his MA in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University. His research interests include cognitive rehabilitation, executive functioning, and pediatric neuropsychology. In his free time outside of research, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, playing and watching soccer.
	Mansi Shah Mansi is a second-year master’s student in the clinical-counseling program on the clinical track and is a clinical intern at Josselyn. She is passionate about community mental health and providing culturally responsive care to diverse and underserved populations. Her research interests center on racial and ethnic health disparities, particularly how cultural, social, and structural factors contribute to inequities in mental and physical health. She is especially interested in immigrant and second-generation individuals navigating bicultural identities and how cultural values, family expectations, and identity development influence psychological well-being. Broadly, she hopes to explore how culture, identity, and social context shape health outcomes and access to care. Outside of RFU, she enjoys going on walks, trying different matchas, and visiting animal shelters.
	Madeleine Smith, MS Madeleine is a third-year clinical psychology PhD student specializing in neuropsychology. She received clinical training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and currently trains at Northwestern Medicine and in forensic neuropsychology private practices. Her research interests lie at the intersection of clinical neuroscience and neuropsychology, with a focus on epilepsy, movement disorders, and functional neurological disorder (FND). She is interested in lifespan risk factors, including socioeconomic and sociodemographic disparities, that may influence vulnerability to and clinical expression of these disorders. Madeleine is particularly interested in integrating neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessment, and neurobiological markers to characterize cognitive, behavioral, and motor phenotypes, including functional symptoms and functional overlay in neurological disease. She is also interested in how these factors inform the assessment and differential diagnosis of FND in forensic settings, particularly among underserved populations. Ultimately, she hopes to improve the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, movement disorders, and FND across clinical and forensic contexts.

Former Students

	Christopher Gonzalez, MS
	Jessica Hudson, MS
	Humza Khan, MS
	Hannah VanLandingham, MS/MA

Selected Publications

Dr. Ellison was an invited guest editor for a special issue with the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (JCEN; 10/2022) on Mentoring in Neuropsychology. She has a forthcoming special issue as a guest editor for The Clinical Neuropsychologist (TCN) on Current Directions in Women’s Neuropsychology Research.

Sullivan-Baca, E. & Ellison, R. L. (May, 2025). The neuropsychology of women: Considerations for evaluation and treatment. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-87228-0

Kaseda, E. T., Arentoft, A., Bangen, K. J., Mahmood, Z., Thomas, K., Kim, S. H., Tan, A., Prieto, S., Dawson, E. L., Riegler, K., Sullivan-Baca, E., & Ellison, R. L. (in press). Parental, caregiving, and family leave during clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral training: Recommendations and guidelines from the Women in Neuropsychology (WIN) committee and Education Advisory Committee (EAC) of the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN; APA Division 40). The Clinical Neuropsychologist. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2023.2217673

Ellison, R. L. & Sparks, J. (Eds.). (2022). WIN/JCEN Special Issue [Special Issue]. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (JCEN), 44(5-6). https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ncen20/44/5-6?nav=tocList

Sparks, J. & Ellison, R. L. (2022). WIN/JCEN Special Issue: Mentoring in neuropsychology: How theory and practice can support diverse mentees. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (JCEN), 44(5-6), 337-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2022.2125500

Ellison, R. L. & Sparks, J. (2022). WIN/JCEN Special Issue: Mentoring in neuropsychology: Sage advice compilation from our field. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (JCEN), 44(5-6), 345-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2022.2130181

Calamia, M., Kaseda, E. T., Price, J. S., De Vito, A., Silver, S. H., Cherry, J., VanLandingham, H., Khan, H., Sparks, J., & Ellison, R. L. (2022). Mentorship in clinical neuropsychology: Survey of current practices, cultural responsiveness, and untapped potential. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (JCEN), 44(5-6), 366-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2022.2128068

Lindsey, A., Ellison, R. L., Herrold, A. A., Aaronson, A. L., Kletzel, S. L., Stika, M., Guernon, A., & Bender Pape., T. (in press). rTMS/iTBS and cognitive rehabilitation: A theoretical framework and review examining paired treatment to remediate deficits associated with TBI and PTSD. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.21090227

VanLandingham, H., Ellison, R. L., Laique, A., Cladek, A., Khan, H., Gonzalez, C., & Dunn, M. R. (2021). A scoping review of stereotype threat for BIPOC: Cognitive effects and intervention strategies for the field of neuropsychology. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 1-20. doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.1947388

Stika, M. M., Riordan, P., Aaronson, A. A., Herrold, A. A., Ellison, R. L., Kletzel, S., Drzewiecki, M., Evans, C. T., Mallinson, T., High, W. M., Babcock-Parziale, J., Urban, A., Bender Pape, T. L., & Smith, B. (2021). Cognition and other predictors of functional disability among Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 36(1), 44-55. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000611

Ellison, R. L., Cory, M., Horwath, J., Barnett, A., & Huppert, E. (2020). Can mentor organizations impact mentor outcomes? Assessing organizational norms on mentor intent to stay and willingness to ‘go the extra mile’. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(7), 2208-2220. doi:10.1002/jcop.22391

Ellison, R. L., Todd, N. R., Orth, R. D., & McConnell, E. A. (2019). Openness to diversity and White privilege awareness: The moderating role of gender for White Christian students. Journal of College Student Development, 60(5), 563-576. doi:10.1353/csd.2019.0050

Ellison, R. L. (2018). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and prospective employment decisions: Exploring social change through college students. Journal of College and Character, 19(4), 275-291. doi:10.1080/2194587X.2018.1517648

Ellison, R. L., & Stika, M. (Winter, 2018). Feedback on invalid neuropsychological testing: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Journal of Health Service Psychology, 44(1), 19-23.

Todd, N. R., Boeh, B. A., Houston-Kolnik, J. D., & Suffrin, R L. (2017). Interfaith groups as mediating structures for political participation: A multilevel analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 59(1-2), 106-119. doi:10.1002/ajcp.12121

Todd, N. R., Houston-Kolnik, J. D., & Suffrin, R. L. (2017). Understanding community issues of interfaith groups. Journal of Community Psychology, 45(2), 160-177. doi:10.1002/jcop.21840

Suffrin, R. L., Todd, N. R., & Sanchez, B. (2016). An ecological perspective of mentor satisfaction with their youth mentoring relationships. Journal of Community Psychology. 44(5), 553-568. doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21785

Todd, N. R., Houston, J. D., & Suffrin, R. L. (2015). Applying affiliation social network analysis to understand interfaith groups. Psychosocial Intervention, 24(3), 147-154. doi:10.1016/j.psi.2015.07.007

Todd, N. R., Suffrin, R. L., McConnell, E. A., & Odahl-Ruan, C. A. (2015, March 25). Understanding associations between religious beliefs and White privilege attitudes. Sociological Perspectives, 58(4), 649-665. doi:10.1177/0731121415572689

Todd, N. R., McConnell, E. A., & Suffrin, R. L. (2014). The role of attitudes toward White privilege and religious beliefs in predicting social justice interest and commitment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 53, 109-121. doi:10.1007/s10464-014-9630-x