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Scot Kristian Hill, PhD

Scot Kristian Hill, PhD
Professor

Dr. Scot Kristian Hill, Professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Health Professions received his PhD in School Psychology from Ball State University, specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Hill completed Postdoctoral Fellowships in clinical neuropsychology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Prior to joining RFUMS, Dr. Hill was a member of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Hill’s early research focused on learning disabilities and the impact of neurodevelopmental issues on cognitive abilities. More recently, his interests lie in neurocognitive deficits associated with psychosis; the neural and cognitive bases of working memory dysfunction in schizophrenia, particularly frontostriatal communications; electrophysiological and neuropsychological markers of psychosis; intermediate phenotypes shared among psychotic disorders; and neurotransmitter regulation in psychosis (genetic and systems level). Research methods include behavioral analysis, neuropsychological testing, electroencephalography (EEG), genotype analyses, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), multivariate analyses (pattern classification, subtype identification, structural equations modeling). Research reports have appeared in several areas including Neuropsychology, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology journals.

Honors include NIMH National Research Service Award Fellowship, NIMH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, and NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program Award. Dr. Hill has been the principal investigator on several extramural and foundation grants and has served as co-investigator or consultant on several projects investigating disease and treatment related effects on neuroscognition in first episode and chronic schizophrenia, shared genetic liability underlying schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and cognitive and affective dysfunction in pediatric bipolar disorder.

Are You a Prospective Graduate Student? Dr. Hill will not be accepting a student for the 2022/2023 academic year.

Research

Dr. Hill is currently involved in researching neurocognition in psychosis. Specifically, Dr. Hill has ongoing involvement in the Bipolar and Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) research group. In addition, Dr. Hill has ongoing research with his lab at Rosalind Franklin University researching working memory deficits in schizophrenia across neuropsychological, genetic, and electroencephalographic methods. The lab's most recent publication involved integration of genetic and neuropsychological assessment data in understanding serial order processing deficits across varied conditions of stimulus recall in individual's with schizophrenia.

Research Lab

Research Topics

  1. Neurocognition in psychosis
  2. Cognitive treatment effects
  3. Intermediate cognitive phenotypes
  4. Development of digital neuropsychological measures

Dr. Hill is currently involved in researching neurocognition in psychosis. Specifically, Dr. Hill has ongoing involvement in the Bipolar and Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) research group. In addition, Dr. Hill has ongoing research with his lab at Rosalind Franklin University researching working memory deficits in schizophrenia across neuropsychological, genetic, and electroencephalographic methods. The lab's most recent publication involved integration of genetic and neuropsychological assessment data in understanding serial order processing deficits across varied conditions of stimulus recall in individual's with schizophrenia.

Graduate Students

Cari Cohen, MS
Cari Cohen is on internship at Rush University Medical Center. Her research interests include aging, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exercising, playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
Erin Kaseda, MS
Erin is a fourth-year student in the PhD program, completing dual specialization on the neuropsychology and health psychology tracks. Her research interests include the effects of cancer and its treatment on cognition, particularly in pediatric populations, as well as cognitive biomarkers of medical illness. This year, she is completing an advanced pediatric assessment practicum at NorthShore University Health System, as well as external research practica at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Lurie Children's Hospital. Erin also serves as the student representative to the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology's Board of Directors and as a student committee member of the Asian Neuropsychological Association and Division 40's Women in Neuropsychology committee. In her free time, Erin enjoys running half marathons and hiking with her West Highland White terrier, Hubble.
Madison Dykins, MS
Madison is a fourth-year clinical psychology doctoral student specializing in neuropsychology. Her research interests include cognitive dysfunction in serious mental illness populations. In her free time, Madison enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, snuggling with her Rotsky, and working out.
Mira Leese, MS
Mira Leese is a third-year student in the Ph.D. program. Her research interests include the psychometric development of web-based performance validity tests (PVTs) as well as exploring digital biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. This year, she is completing an advanced adult assessment practicum at NorthShore University Health System. She completed a general outpatient therapy practicum at the Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center last year.
Elmma Khalid, MS
Elmma Khalid is a first-year clinical psychology doctoral student. Her research interests include cognition in psychosis and impact of childhood trauma on cognitive functioning.
Sophia Parmacek, BA
Sophia is a first-year student in the Clinical Counseling program. Her research interests include neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her dog and baking.

Alumni

Hayley Amsbaugh, PhD
Jenna Axelrod, PhD
Alison Buchholz, PhD
Tarra Carrathers, PhD
Courtney Eskridge, PhD
William Hochberger, PhD
Emily Kalscheur, PhD
Zachery Resch, MS
Jarret Roseberry, PhD
Nicholas Velissaris, PhD
Maura Wolfe, PhD
Tasha Rhoades, PhD
Milena Gotra, PhD
Lindsey Holbrook, PhD
Alec Neale, PhD


Select Publications in Past 5 Years

Eum, S., Hill, S. K., & Bishop, J. R. (2022). Considering medication exposure in genomic association studies of cognition in psychotic disorders. Pharmacogenomics, 23(14), 791–806. https://doi.org/10.2217/pgs-2022-0070

Gotra, M. Y., Keedy, S. K., & Hill, S. K. (2022). Interactive effects of maintenance decay and interference on working memory updating in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia research, 239, 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2021.11.028

Gershon, E. S., Lee, S. H., Zhou, X., Sweeney, J. A., Tamminga, C., Pearlson, G. A., ... & Hill, S.K. (2021). An opportunity for primary prevention research in psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia Research.

Parker, D. A., Trotti, R. L., McDowell, J. E., Keedy, S. K., Hill, S.K., Gershon, E. S., ... & Clementz, B. A. (2021). Auditory oddball responses across the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum and their relationship to cognitive and clinical features. American Journal of Psychiatry, appi-ajp.

Eskridge, C. L., Hochberger, W. C., Kaseda, E. T., Lencer, R., Reilly, J. L., Keedy, S. K., ... & Hill, S.K. (2021). Deficits in generalized cognitive ability, visual sensorimotor function, and inhibitory control represent discrete domains of neurobehavioral deficit in psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia research, 236, 54-60.

Hill, S.K., Keefe, R., Sweeney, J., Hill, S., Keefe, R., & Sweeney, J. (2020). Cognitive biomarkers of psychosis. In Psychotic Disorders: Comprehensive Conceptualization and Treatments. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Hochberger, W. C., Eskridge, C., Bishop, J. R., Reilly, J. L., Rubin, L. H., Keedy, S., Gershon, E. S., Tamminga, C. A., Pearlson, G. D., Ragozzino, M., Keshavan, M. S., Sweeney, J. A., & Hill, S.K. (2020). Catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype differentially contributes to the flexibility and stability of cognitive sets in patients with psychotic disorders and their first-degree relatives. Schizophrenia research, S0920-9964(20)30433-3. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2020.08.005

Gotra, M. Y., Hill, S.K., Gershon, E. S., Tamminga, C. A., Ivleva, E. I., Pearlson, G. D., Keshavan, M. S., Clementz, B. A., McDowell, J. E., Buckley, P. F., Sweeney, J. A., & Keedy, S. K. (2020). Distinguishing patterns of impairment on inhibitory control and general cognitive ability among bipolar with and without psychosis, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Schizophrenia research, S0920-9964(20)30385-6. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2020.06.033

Hochberger WC, Combs T, Reilly JL, Keefe RSE, Keshavan MS, Pearlson GD, Tamminga CA, Clementz BA, Sweeney JA, Hill S.K. (2018). Decline from expected cognitive ability is modestly familial across psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia Research, 192, 300-307.

Nelson, C., Hill, S.K. (2018) et al. “Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Antipsychotic Medication on Cognitive Flexibility Are Related to COMT Genotype in First Episode Psychosis.” Schizophrenia Research.

Hochberger, W. C., Hill S.K., et al (2018). “P3 Amplitude Attenuation Secondary to Increases in Target-to-Target Interval (TTI) during Spatial Serial Order Recall: Implications for EEG Models of Working Memory Function.” International Journal of Neuroscience, pp. 1–22.

Combs, T. Hill S.K., et al. (2018) “Deficient Single Item Maintenance Following Intact Updating in Schizophrenia.” Schizophrenia Research, vol. 195, pp. 353–356.