H. Allison Bender, PhD, ABPP-CN, has been named a 2025 winner of the Jerry Sweet Leadership Award by the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) and American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), the specialty board of the American Board of Clinical Psychology. The award recognizes board-certified neuropsychologists who have shown outstanding leadership that is judged likely to have a lasting imprint on neuropsychology and is acknowledged within the professional community as exceptionally beneficial to the field.
Dr. Bender was recognized for her leadership in creating a task force on test security within the Inter Organizational Practice Committee (IOPC) and leading the task force’s efforts as its chair, including working with the American Psychological Association (APA) to develop changes in the ethics code to improve test security. She shares the annual award with Catherine Marreiro, PhD, ABPP-CN, whose advocacy helped influence legal decisions in California regarding test security.
As Director of Neuropsychology Services and Professor of Neuropsychology within Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, Dr. Bender manages the full spectrum of neuropsychological offerings, including evaluating patients to determine if they are candidates for epilepsy surgery, conducting special procedures such as the intraoperative testing of patients during awake craniotomies, and in delivering cognitive remediation therapies for patients after neurological surgery, cerebrovascular accidents, and other events. Dr. Bender has a special interest in the neuropsychological needs of non-native English speakers and patients born outside of the United States, and is active in professional groups working to reduce disparities in healthcare.
The awards will be presented to Dr. Bender and Dr. Marreiro at the annual AACN conference, to be held in June 2025 in Chicago.
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