Childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders Lab
The University of Southern Mississippi
Director & Supervisor
Dr. Stephanie Smith (she/her)
Associate Professor of Psychology,
University of Southern Mississippi
Adjunct Faculty, Yale Child Study Center
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Dr. Smith graduated from Brandeis University in 2003 with a B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology. She then received her M.S. in 2007 and her Ph.D. in 2012 from the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at the Florida State University. Prior to graduation, she completed a pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota in 2012. Upon graduating, Dr. Smith completed a NIMH T32 Post-Doctoral Training Program in Childhood Neuropsychiatric Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center.
Current Graduate Students
Zachary Wilde (he/him)
Fifth Year Graduate Student
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Zachary joined Dr. Smith’s lab in 2020. From 2013-2017, he served as an active duty Marine in the ammunitions and explosive field. Aside from his primary military occupation, he was responsible for leading, training, and mentoring Marines, finding great joy in doing so. After being honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps, he pursued a degree in psychology. He received his B.S. in psychology from Washington State University in 2020. His research interests lie in examining the neural correlates of resilience, self-agency and other character strengths in marginalized and at-risk children and adolescents. He is also interested in enhancing treatment outcomes in youth with externalizing behaviors and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He is currently on clinical internship at the Greater Hartford Clinical Psychology/ VA in Newington, CT.
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Email: zachary.wilde@usm.edu
Mairin Cotter (she/her)
Fourth Year Graduate Student
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Mairin joined Dr. Smith’s lab in 2021. She received her B.A. in psychology from Bellarmine University and her M.S. in Clinical Research Methods at Fordham University. She is interested in the development and treatment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder. Additionally, she is interested in examining the neural correlates related to internalizing and externalizing behaviors in children through neuroimaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG).
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Email: mairinclaire.cotter@usm.edu
Rachel Kaplan (she/her)
Third Year Graduate Student
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Rachel joined Dr. Smith’s lab in 2022. She graduated from Salem State University with a B.S and B.A. in psychology and philosophy, respectively. In 2021, She earned her M.S. in applied developmental psychology from the University of New Orleans. Her research interests broadly lie in the multimodal examination of the emotion regulation and affective components of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and comorbid internalizing disorders. ​
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Email: rachel.kaplan@usm.edu
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Cameron Pothoven (he/him)
Second Year Graduate Student
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Cameron Joined Dr. Smiths Lab in 2023. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S in psychology. His research interests primarily involve examining cognitive deficits in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with an emphasis on working memory and attention.
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Email: cameron.pothoven@usm.edu
Cameron Robins (he/him)
Second Year Graduate Student
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Cameron joined Dr. Smith's lab in 2024. Originally from Massachusetts, he attended the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, where he earned my B.S. in Psychology and Spanish. He then worked as a research assistant in the Brain Stimulation Lab at the Medical University of South Carolina, a research team conducting studies examining various methods of neurological observation and modulation, including EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Cameron's research interests include child and adolescent development and well-being, with specific interests in the impact of parenting, environmental risk factors which can affect development, and externalizing behaviors among adolescent males. Regarding career goals, he aspires to combine clinical practice with research to provide community-oriented care to underserved populations and to advance our understanding of the unique challenges of adolescence and how to connect at-risk individuals to effective resources.
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Email: cameron.robins@usm.edu
Brian Farstead (he/him)
First Year Graduate Student
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Brian joined Dr. Smith’s lab in 2024. He received his B.S. in psychology with a Minor in Spanish from Brigham Young University. He is broadly interested in the intersection of emotion and behavior dysregulation in youth with deficits in executive function. He is also interested in improving screening and treatment for Neurodevelopmental Disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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Email: brian.farstead@usm.edu
Lab Alumni
Dr. Kathleen Ramsey
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Autism Research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
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Dr. Tiffany Harris
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Neurodevelopment and Behavioral Psychology Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
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Dr. Brandi Ellis
​Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama in Birmingham
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Dr. Kimberly (Barajas) Sood
Clinical Psychologist, Massie Family Clinic, UC Davis MIND Institute
Dr. Fayth Walbridge
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Preschool/Pediatric Psychology Fellowship at Texas Children's Hospital.
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