Meet the Staff
Clinical Staff
Vanessa Bell, Ph.D., HSP
Psychologist
I support students by providing psychological assessments to better understand various factors that may be adversely impacting their academic, emotional, social, and/or other areas of functioning. Working together, we will collect important pieces of the diagnostic puzzle and identify the most appropriate diagnoses, treatment recommendations, and supportive resources.
Heather Boyd, LMSW
Therapist
I believe that life is all about balance, in therapy that means balancing acceptance with change. I provide a safe environment for my clients to fully accept themselves while identifying parts of their lives they would like to change.
Mary Clare Champion, Ph.D., HSP
Psychologist
My goal as a therapist is to meet students from all programs and identities and support them in their time at Vanderbilt, creating a safe space together in which to determine strategies to help navigate stressors and challenges that may have interfered with them succeeding in their academic or personal lives.
Nalini Conner, Ph.D., HSP
Psychologist
“It’s okay to feel what you feel- it’s what you do with those feelings that is the most important.” I believe that therapy is a space to learn how to better understand your emotions, what may be contributing to them, and how to respond to them. My goal is to provide a safe, collaborative space for all clients where they can learn the individualized tools they need to help them navigate through any difficulties.
Viviana Grice, LPC
Therapist
I strive to offer students a safe and confidential space where they are invited to a journey of self-exploration and growth. I work in collaboration with my clients toward unveiling and ending the cycle of self-defeating behaviors that have been barriers to reaching their full potential.
Heather Hemmeger, PharmD, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
My approach to patient care is evidence-based, holistic, and informed only by a genuine understanding of your unique story and lived experience. As a patient advocate, I value your voice and will work collaboratively to develop a treatment plan that best optimizes your overall health, happiness, and mind-body synchronicity.
Adriana Kipper-Smith, Ph.D., HSP
Associate Director for Clinical Services
My approach to psychotherapy is integrative and it is an amalgam of my training and experience working as a clinical psychologist in South America and in the U.S. I love having genuine and courageous conversations that spark curiosity and connectedness while helping students develop more resilience and insight into their lives. As a white Latina, cisgender female, I am committed to using my privilege and power to promote equality and justice.
Kim Koon, M.Ed., NCC
Therapist
My goal as a therapist is to create a trusting, safe and collaborative therapeutic relationship with clients of all backgrounds and identities. Together, we will examine areas in which you may be struggling, and work to enhance skills to help you better cope.
Kierra Landrum, M.Ed
Therapist
It is my goal to provide an affirming space that welcomes all individuals from every walk of life. I work collaboratively with all of my clients to provide insight on areas of growth to ensure that they are living a life that promotes wholeness. I facilitate healing and self-exploration through replacing destructive thoughts and behaviors with love and acceptance. I am always inspired by each of my client’s resiliency, willingness to be vulnerable and embracement of their unique qualities.
Peg Leonard-Martin, M.Div., LCSW
Therapist
No matter who you are or where you came from, I will create a safe space for you to tell your story. I will work with you so that can you learn new skills to cope with whatever issue you bring and respectfully explore how to carry your story forward in a way that represents your integrity and authentic self.
Kyle MacDonald, M.Ed., NCC, CPRP
Therapist
I like to focus on building a relationship with each of my clients to facilitate safety and authenticity in the therapeutic space. I also collaborate with my clients to identify helpful strategies, challenge thoughts that make life more difficult, change negative patterns, and enhance their ability to cope.
Amira Mohamad, LPC-MHSP
Therapist
It’s a privilege to be asked to enter the most vulnerable spaces with clients. As a Kurdish-American who resettled in the U.S. as a refugee, I prioritize recognizing the intersectional identities of each client in order to create a safe space where they can exist authentically. My hope is to continue playing a role in improving access to mental health services in the minority communities. I aim for a curiosity-oriented approach with my clients to help develop skills of self-observation and exploration.
Frances Niarhos, Ph.D., HSP
Associate Director for Training
I enjoy helping young adults identify potential barriers to their academic success using well-established measure of cognitive, academic and mental health functioning. I also have a passion for teaching and mentoring trainees across all mental health disciplines as they prepare for professional roles as psychologists, clinical social workers and professional counselors.
Kate Pedziwol, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
I am passionate about meeting students just as they are and creating a space where open conversation is welcome and treatment planning continually evolves based on the student’s current needs. My experience is broad in psychopharmacology, with special interest in exploring integrative treatment approaches using non-pharmacologic interventions.
Brian Pollock, DNP, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
My goal is to assist students by being authentically present and developing helping-trusting relationships.
Kelsey Pope, M.Ed., MSN, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
My goal is to provide evidence based, holistic care by combining psychopharmacology with supportive psychotherapy to enhance each individuals’ mental, physical, and emotional state of wellbeing. I value collaborative relationships and enjoy tailoring care by taking into account the student’s unique identities, background, and environment.
Melissa Porter, Psy.D., HSP
Psychologist
My goal is to provide a space where I can provide support and guidance on working through the various challenges that life brings, where a student can feel heard, validated, and challenged while making decisions that best fit their life.
Bhupendra Rajpura, M.D.
Psychiatrist
My approach to your care is to understand your concerns and help develop a plan of that is “YOU”-centric and encompasses most recent treatment guidelines within a holistic approach. I believe in working with you to achieve outcomes resulting in a healthy body and healthy mind.
Ciera Scott, Ph.D., HSP
Psychologist
While honoring your unique identities, I collaborate with clients in exploring how your background may impact your current thought patterns, your self-esteem, your mood, and how you experience your present relationships.
Kyle Shadrick, LMSW
Therapist
I enjoy assisting people in learning how to better navigate their stressors and difficulties in life by helping them to better understand their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I also find great value in incorporating elements of mindfulness into therapy. My most forefront passion is working with LGBTQIA+ communities.
Ed Smith, M.D.
Psychiatrist
My goal is to understand your concerns, to offer and explain medication options that may help so that you can make an informed decision about what would be best for you.
Todd Weinman, Psy.D., HSP
Director
All of us get stuck at different points in our lives and I believe counseling can be an important vehicle for helping us get unstuck and reaching our full potential. I really enjoy working as a psychologist within a diverse college community and come from a flexible, integrative, collaborative and culturally responsive perspective designed to help you build on your unique strengths and skills as you continue your journey as a student and beyond.
Anabella Pavón Wilson, Ph.D., HSP
Psychologist
I strive to provide an environment in which students can feel welcomed and safe. I will work with you to address challenges that may come up during your time at Vanderbilt, and/or address what may have impacted you in your past. I will also help you develop strategies to challenge unhelpful thinking patterns and to cope with difficult emotions.
Administrative Staff
Trainees
Emma Diaz
Doctoral Intern
My primary goal is to make sure clients feel heard, respected, and empowered during our sessions. I work with my clients to develop self-compassion and challenge themselves, so that they can meet their goals and develop meaningful connections with others.
LaToya Favre, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
My aim as a therapist is to help students navigate life’s difficulties, offering them support and validation of their experiences. I value working collaboratively with students to explore and challenge the areas of life that aren’t working for them, and I feel honored to help students identify strategies for living fulfilled lives.
Geneva Polser-Crabtree, M.Ed.
Doctoral Intern
My goal is to provide a welcoming environment, where I focus on better understanding and honoring your identities and the experiences that make up who you are.
Becca Sandhu, M.A.
Doctoral Intern
I work to build a genuine relationship that honors the unique identities of each of my clients in order to provide a safe environment in which they can explore how their background and past experiences may be impacting their current relationships, thought patterns, and view of themselves.
Courtney Williams, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Consistent with both my professional and personal identity, I find that my relationships are an integral part of my identity. My relationships help me better understand myself, others, and various aspects of my life. In the same way, my clients make sense of the world through their relationships, often finding that the challenges they confront are related to relational variables. In my work with diverse populations, one theme remained consistent-the desire to connect-to others, to feelings, to self. As such, my role as your therapist is to co-facilitate a therapeutic process that fosters that connection.
