Our faculty mentors have a diverse set of specialties and skills.
Kayley Boress, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Boress is a clinical neuropsychologist who joined the faculty at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after completing her postdoctoral fellowship here in the Department of Psychiatry in 2021. She is a lifespan neuropsychologist who works primarily with adolescent, adults, and older adult populations. Her clinical areas of interest include attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, traumatic brain injury, dementia, Huntington’s disease, and epilepsy, and complex medical conditions/comorbid psychiatric disorders. She is also involved in a multidisciplinary neurocritical care clinic where she completes neuropsychological assessment with children and adolescents who have sustained acute neurological injury (e.g., stoke, TBI etc.). Her areas of research include psychometrics, symptom and performance validity, and juvenile Huntington’s disease.
Kristen Caraher, PsyD, ABPP/CN, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Caraher is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and program director for the postdoctoral fellowship in lifespan clinical neuropsychology. She joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in December 2016 after training at Hines VA Medical Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Phoenix VA Healthcare System, and Barrow Neurological Institute. Throughout her career, she has had strong clinical and research interests in obesity, bariatric surgery outcomes, depression, quality of life, cognition, cognitive decline, and other neurological conditions. Dr. Caraher is currently involved in NIH-funded research exploring the cognitive effects of cochlear implant use. She has worked in diverse inpatient and outpatient medical, neurological, and rehabilitation settings and conducted evaluations with patients with a variety of neurological (e.g., memory disorders, Parkinson’s disease, TBI, epilepsy, brain tumor, cerebrovascular disease and stroke, demyelinating and autoimmune conditions) and psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, personality disorders), with complex medical backgrounds. In addition to neuropsychological assessment, she leads a cognitive rehabilitation and psychoeducational group called Brain Boosters for individuals with cognitive impairment. Dr. Caraher finds great enjoyment in teaching and supervising students, trainees, and psychometricians.
Patricia Espe-Pfeifer, PhD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Espe-Pfeifer directs the Pediatric Neuropsychology Service and is also Director of Sports Psychology and Student-Athlete Mental Health Services for UI Athletics. Her areas of clinical interest include traumatic brain injury, sports-related concussions, epilepsy, stroke, Juvenile Huntington’s Disease, and collegiate athlete mental health. In addition, she specializes in neuropsychological assessment of patients with complex medical histories, including brain injuries as a result of an accident, a stroke, or an infection of the brain, and comorbid psychiatric disorders. Dr. Espe-Pfeifer is a faculty member and provider within the UIHC Stead Family Children’s Hospital Interdisciplinary Neurocritical Care Team and works closely with UI Sports Medicine Concussion Clinic and UI Athletics. She also provides group therapy interventions through the Outpatient Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program. Her areas of research interest include epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Juvenile Huntington’s Disease.
Carissa Gehl, PhD, ABPP/CN, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Gehl is a board-certified neuropsychologist who joined the faculty
at the University of Iowa in January 2020 after working for 10 years at
the Iowa City VA Health Care System. She is also the Associate Director of the postdoctoral fellowship in lifespan clinical neuropsychology. Her areas of clinical areas of interest include assessment of decisional capacity, dementia, traumatic brain injury, ADHD, and rehabilitation. She leads a psychotherapy group, CBT for Adult ADHD. Dr. Gehl has enjoyed engagement in teaching and supervision throughout her career including working with individuals who are obtaining their first exposure to neuropsychological evaluation through individuals who are completing their post-doctoral fellowship. Moreover, she values the opportunity to provide education related to cognition and capacity assessment to providers across a wide variety of disciplines.
Karin Hoth, PhD, ABPP/CN, Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Hoth is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 2013. She has expertise in aging and cognitive changes associated with chronic medical illnesses. Dr. Hoth devotes a significant portion of her academic time to research and conducts assessments in the adult neuropsychology clinic. She is a faculty member in the UI Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Pre-doctoral Training Program, Lung Imaging Training Program and the Iowa Neuroscience Specialty Program in Research Education (INSPIRE) Her research focuses on physiological mechanisms that impact the brain in adults with cardiopulmonary conditions (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sarcoidosis, COVID-19), and psychological adjustment, particularly anxiety and depression, in chronic lung disease. Dr. Hoth has been actively involved with several professional organizations in the fields of psychology and pulmonary medicine including serving on the APA Scientific Advisory Committee, AACN Relevance 2050, and the medical and scientific advisory committee for the COPD Foundation.
David Moser, PhD, ABPP/CN, Professor of Psychiatry
Dr. Moser is a board-certified neuropsychologist and Professor of Psychiatry who joined the faculty at Iowa in 1999 after training at the University of Florida and Brown University. He currently devotes approximately one-third of his work time to adult neuropsychological assessment and also sees patients in psychotherapy. Dr. Moser is a faculty member in the UI Graduate Program in Neuroscience and is involved in a broad range of NIH-funded research activities on topics including myotonic dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, and others. He also serves as Director of Educational Outreach in the UI Carver College of Medicine's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and holds a Vice Chair position in the Department of Psychiatry.
Psychometrists
- Hannah Lawing, BA-Psychometrist
- Jennifer Long, BA-Senior Psychometrist
- Elijah Waterman, BA-Senior Psychometrist