Convention 2022 Speaker Bios

Anne Marie Albano, Ph.D.  is the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CUCARD) Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Albano is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and is Board Certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Dr. Albano served as President of the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology of the American Psychological Association and also President of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), editor of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, founding editor of the journal Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and associate editor of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. She was a Principal Investigator for the NIMH-funded "Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Treatment Study" (CAMS) and the “Treatments for Adolescents with Depression Study” (TADS), as well as their follow-up studies.

Presently, Dr. Albano and her team are developing and testing virtual environments that are developmentally and contextually valid for adolescents and young adults who suffer with anxiety and mood disorders, with the aim to extend the benefits of evidence-based therapies and make meaningful, lasting changes for emerging adults. With her colleagues, Dr. Albano has published over 200 articles and chapters and she the co-author of several cognitive behavioral treatment manuals and of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-5, Child and Parent Versions, all published by Oxford University Press, where she is also the co-editor of the series “Programs that Work” with David H. Barlow. She is a mentor, teacher, and supervisor to child psychiatry fellows, clinical psychology students and fellows, and to audiences of clinicians from the range of mental health professions. Dr. Albano is a frequently sought-after presenter in the US and by international organizations interested in training and education of mental health professionals as well as consumer audiences. In addition to her clinical and teaching roles, Dr. Albano serves as a consultant to organizations and entities in developing clinical services or research methods to evaluate services, as well to non-profit boards focused on mental health, suicide prevention, and health education for youth.

Becky Beaton-York, Ph.D. has been on the Georgia Psychological Association's Ethics Committee since 2010 and Ethics Chair for eight of those years. She has taught hundreds of ethics workshops over the past 30 years and trained several thousand mental health professionals in telemental health, including behavioral health staff of the US Army and multiple hospitals and universities. Dr. Beaton-York has also served as an ethics expert in therapy malpractice lawsuits. She is Adjunct Faculty for Emory's Department of Psychology and teaches ethics for their staff and alumni. And, on a completely different note, you may have seen her on one of the 60 episodes that she filmed as the featured psychologist on TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive."

Marianne Brandon, Ph.D.  is a clinical psychologist, Diplomat in sex therapy, and Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health. She is author of Monogamy: The Untold Story, Unlocking the Sexy in Surrender: Using the Neuroscience of Power to Recharge Your Sex Life, and co-author of Reclaiming Desire: 4 Keys to Finding Your Lost Libido. She writes a Psychology Today blog, The Future of Sex, co-hosted a talk radio show, is a past book review editor for the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, past Board member of The International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, and regularly lectures for professional and lay audiences. She has served twice as a panel member for FDA hearings evaluating medications relevant to female sexual function. Her areas of expertise include human primate’s evolutionary instincts toward non-monogamy and how this impacts long-term intimate relationships, and the ways technology and artificial intelligence impact intimate relationships including the soon-to-be-arriving sex robots. You can learn more about her work at www.drbrandon.net, join her on twitter @DrBrandon, on facebook /DrMarianneBrandon, and Instagram @drmbrandon. Dr Brandon is in private practice in Sarasota, FL.

Thema Bryant, Ph.D. , is the current president-elect of the American Psychological Association, and is nationally sought-after for her expertise in diversity, multiculturalism, and trauma research. She is a tenured professor of psychology at Pepperdine University and is the supervising director of the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory at the university. She has authored and/or co-authored more than 50 publications including her book, Thriving in the Wake of Trauma: a Multicultural Guide, and has facilitated over 70 presentations and workshops nationally and internationally. Dr. Bryant’s clinical and research interests center on interpersonal trauma and the societal trauma of oppression. She provides national and international training on trauma recovery for marginalized communities, embodied psychotherapy, spiritual integration in psychotherapy, and liberation psychology.

Dr. Bryant has held many leadership positions within APA throughout her career. She is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women and a past APA representative to the United Nations. Dr. Bryant was a part of the first APA team to serve at the United Nations and within her tenure she contributed to the APA Resolution on Racism and Racial Discrimination. Dr. Bryant also chaired the APA Committee on International Relations in Psychology and served on the Committee on Women in Psychology.

Monica Carsky, Ph.D.,  is a Senior Fellow, faculty member, supervisor, and research therapist at the Weill-Cornell Personality Disorders Institute. Her numerous publications and presentations seek to advance the psychodynamic understanding and treatment of individuals with narcissistic, borderline and other personality disorders, anxiety and depression. Her teaching on Transference-Focused Psychotherapy includes courses at postdoctoral training programs, invited lectures and grand rounds, and national and international individual and group supervision. She is a sought-after teacher, case consultant and therapist.

Mary Jo Coiro, Ph.D. ABPP is an Associate Professor of Psychology, and Director of Clinical Training for the APA-accredited PsyD program, at Loyola University Maryland. She teaches classes and provides supervision on assessment and diagnosis. A licensed and board-certified psychologist, she also has a private practice providing psychoeducational evaluations. 

Janice Hicks, Ph.D.,  is a chaplain and deacon from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Columbia University and worked as a professor of chemistry at Georgetown University and then as a science manager at the National Science Foundation. Her career change starting with an MDiv from Virginia Theological Seminary was due in part to the caregiving she gave to her mother who lived with dementia for over twenty years. She writes at www.spiritualityanddementia.org

Lynn Hottle, LCSW-C has been with Red Cross for 12 years in Disaster Mental Health. She is currently serving as the Regional Lead for the National Capital Greater Chesapeake area(DC, Delaware, No VA, Maryland) Has completed over 30 deployments and is an instructor and Facilitator for Services to Armed Forces resiliency classes.

Bill Johnson, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He has a full-time private practice and consultation business. He has published articles and delivered presentations at national and international conferences confronting hegemonic masculinities, racism, sexism and advancing the discourse on culturally competent mental health treatment for African American and diverse males. Dr. Johnson also maintains several professional memberships, including being a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapist (AASECT), and the American Psychological Association (APA). He is a current board member of the division 51 of the APA, Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities. Dr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri and earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Johnson is originally from St. Louis, MO, he is a sports enthusiast, LeBron James fan, avid meditator, global traveler and movie connoisseur.

Dorothy Linthicum has studied and taught courses and workshops about older adult spirituality and ministry at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), conferences, and diocesan events. A contributor to The Seasons of Adult Formation (John Roberto, ed. LifelongFaith Associates, 2015), she has become a known expert on the spirituality of older adults. She is currently a catechist and aging ministry specialist for Baptized for Life, a Lilly Foundation/VTS initiative. Her book, Redeeming Dementia: Spirituality, Theology, Science (Church Publishing Inc.), written with co-author Janice Hicks, was published in November 2018.

Jocelyn Markowicz, Ph.D. is a Licensed Counseling Psychologist currently licensed in the state of California and Michigan. She operates group practice locations in California and Michigan. Dr. Markowicz received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University. She received her master’s degree in counseling from the University of Houston. She earned her doctorate degree in counseling psychology at Pennsylvania State University Her clinical interests are broad and have included forensic psychology, working with diverse populations within community and academic settings, and helping to reduce the stigma of mental illness and increase access to effective treatment.

Her dissertation titled: Intergroup Contact Experience in Dialogues on Race Groups: Does Empathy and Informational Identity Style Help Explain Prejudice Reduction has been cited by many researchers examining factors that are associated with anti-racist training.  She has presented at national conferences and has been interviewed by live broadcasts. She published five books in the Bee Psychologist book series for children.

Rowena Ng, Ph.D. received an undergraduate degree at University of California, San Diego, and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she also served as an undergraduate course instructor in child and adolescent psychology. She completed an internship with an emphasis in pediatric neuropsychology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and a fellowship in clinical neuropsychology with lifespan training at the University of Michigan – VA Ann Arbor Postdoctoral Training Consortium. Her research interests include investigating social-affective and -cognitive development associated with genetic and neurological disorders, and characterizing risk and resilience factors among adolescents with complex medical conditions transitioning from pediatric to adult medical services. Dr. Ng joined the Department of Neuropsychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute as a pediatric neuropsychologist in 2019, and is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Ng is a licensed psychologist in Maryland and provides assessment services for children and adolescents with genetic conditions, seizure disorders and comorbid psychiatric and medical histories.

Hoai-An Truong, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, FNAP has been public health pharmacist and educator over thirteen years. He provided patient-centered care in interprofessional clinics to optimize medication use and health outcomes, as well as developed and implemented population-based programs to improve community health. He has served as coordinator and preceptor for pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and public health students on five medical missions to Haiti and Vietnam.

Currently, professor and director of public health at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Dr. Truong was founding chair of the Eastern Shore Collaborative for Interprofessional Education (ESCIPE), an interprofessional, inter-institutional initiative with Salisbury University. As a practitioner-educator, he provided medication management to improve healthcare access for underserved populations in interprofessional clinics of the Primary Care Coalition. The team received a Life-saving Patient Safety Award and was featured in Pharmacy Today magazine in 2012. He is also a trainer for the American Pharmacists Association’s medication therapy management national certificate program and trained over 600 pharmacists.

Dr. Truong published over twenty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and presented at multiple national and international conferences. He is co-editor and co-author of a book, The Pharmacist in Public Health: Education, Application, and Opportunities, published by the American Pharmacists Association in 2010.

Gray Vargas, Ph.D. graduated from Haverford College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She then worked for two years at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before attending Penn State University where she earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Maryland Healthcare System in Baltimore and her post-doctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Vargas joined the Kennedy Krieger Institute in 2018. She provides clinical neuropsychological services in the Neurorehabilitation Concussion Clinic, COVID Clinic, and the Epilepsy/Acquired Brain Injury Clinic. Dr. Vargas is a licensed psychologist in Maryland