EPIC-CARES Collaborators
Director of Clinical Training at GSU, Dr. Erin Tone is also the Chair of the GSU Clinical Psychology program. Her area of clinical and research expertise is in child clinical psychology, and she studies anxiety and relationships. Dr. Tone collaborated on a prior HRSA-funded training project with Dr. Cohen, and Drs. Cohen and Tone have worked together on other training and research endeavors. She is uniquely qualified to assist in the overseeing of the proposed pediatric psychology training program. In her role as DCT, Dr. Tone meets regularly with the clinical faculty to oversee training and also individually with Dr. Cohen regarding the proposed program. Dr. Tone also works closely with Dr. McKee (formerly Dr. Tully), who oversees the practica in the Clinical Psychology program.
EPIC-CARES Experiential Site Directors
Dr. Claire Coles is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Development Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Coles’ federally-funded research program focuses on the effects of teratogens on behavior across the lifespan. She is particularly interested in prevention and treatment issues around prenatal exposure to alcohol, cocaine and tobacco. Dr. Coles has a long history of training and lecturing on the impact of substances on the family. Dr. Coles provides direct supervision of EPIC-CARES Fellows on her rotation at Emory Brain Health, and lectures for the fellows on prevention and treatment of SUD’s in adolescents as well as the role of psychology in multidisciplinary approaches to SUD treatment.
Laura Dilly, PhD, ABPP, NCSP, is a psychologist and the director of the APA-accredited psychology internship at the Marcus Autism Center and an adjunct assistant professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. She also coordinates training experiences for graduate students, doctoral interns, post-doctoral residents, and medical residents. Dr. Dilly conducts interdisciplinary, developmental evaluations with children referred for autism spectrum disorder assessments. She has served on the board of directors of the Georgia Psychological Association for many years and was the 2019-2020 president of the Georgia Psychological Association.
Joseph T. Pate Jr., PhD, is a psychologist at Virtually Better Inc. (VBI), where he treats children and adolescents with inattention and behavioral issues, Autism Spectrum Disorders, anxiety, and depression using behavioral, cognitive behavioral, and interpersonal treatments. Drs. Cohen and Pate have worked together on child therapy cases and have collaborated on research projects. As the Director of Clinical Services at VBI, Dr. Pate is especially well-suited to match EPIC-CARES trainees with child clinical cases that helps meet training goals.
Kindell R. Schoffner, PsyD is a pediatric psychologist and coordinator of the pediatric psychology practicum consortium at CHOA. Her specialty is neuropsychology and cognitive remediation. She has developed a cognitive remediation program for attention deficits, impulsivity, memory impairments, and learning difficulties. The program uses a strategy substitution model to teach caregivers strategies to help their children replace inefficient strategies with their unique strengths and apply them in a variety of situations. In her position coordinating CHOA pediatric psychology practica, Dr. Schoffner works with Drs. Cohen, Tully, and McKee in placing EPIC-CARES trainees at sites that are optimal for meeting project goals and objectives.
Justine Welsh, MD is an Assistant Professor, Director of Emory Healthcare Addiction Services, and Director of Emory Adolescent Substance Use Treatment Services. Her clinical and research experience and expertise focus on the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorders (OUDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) in youth. In addition, she has provided a number of talks and workshops on this topic, and she serves as co-chair or member of numerous local and national advisory boards focused on OUD and SUDs. Dr. Welsh serves as a consultant and supervisor on Dr. Cohen’s current HRSA TIPPS project, and she is committed to assisting Dr. Cohen and other project personnel in training components for the EPIC-CARES project.
EPIC-CARES Psychology Supervisors
The Georgia State University (GSU), Children’s Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA), Emory Brain Health Center (EBHC), Marcus Autism Center (MAC), and Virtually Better Inc. (VBI) psychologists have excellent clinical careers providing psychosocial services in the greater Atlanta area. All are committed to providing supervision and experiences in line with project goals (e.g., evidence-based practices, culturally-sensitive care, interdisciplinary and integrated services, and tele-behavioral healthcare). In addition to regular 1-hour of direct supervision each week and collaborative service provision, each psychologist involve the student in specialized training in line with project goals and objectives.