(ANA) AAPI Heritage Month Series: Dr. Sandra Loo
Channel: TheAsianNeuropsychologicalAssociation
Date: 2021-06-03

Dr. Sandra Loo sits down with Dr. Alexander Tan at the Asian Neuropsychological Association (ANA) to discuss her professional journey as an Asian-American woman in the subspecialty field of pediatric neuropsychology, academia, and COVID-19 pandemic. 

The AAPI Heritage month series is inspired by the conversations from the Society for Black Neuropsychology. In the spirit of connecting our members to a broader range of topics and issues in our field, the ANA Newsletter and Media committee aims to connect people's personal and career identities together to spark deep discussions. This talk was organized and curated by the Newsletter and Media committee at ANA. Learn more at https://the-ana.org

Dr. Sandra Loo, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Pediatric Neuropsychology Training and Pediatric Neuromodulation within the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Loo’s research centers on the gene-brain-behavior pathways evident in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders and translation of this work into improving treatments for these conditions.  The focus of her work is in three major areas: 1) identifying the genetic and neural mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders; 2) investigating the utility of neurobiologically based measures as biomarkers of treatment response in pediatric emotional and behavioral disorders such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Chronic Tic Disorders, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders; and 3) testing novel noninvasive neuromodulation treatments for remediation of cognitive dysfunction among pediatric patients. Dr. Loo’s teaching and clinical activities are focused on comprehensive neuropsychological assessment of youth with pediatric (traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, brain tumors) and psychiatric (ADHD, Specific Learning Disorders, mood and anxiety) disorders.