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Kathryn Lester

Kathryn Lester, PsyD, ABPP

Assistant Professor


Department: Neurology

Specialties: Neuropsychology

Education

  • PsyD - Widener University, Institute of Graduate Clinical Psychology (2009)
  • MA in Psychology - Widener University, Institute of Graduate Clinical Psychology (2007)
  • BA in Psychology - University of Pennsylvania (2002)

Awards & Honors

  • Suzanne Reed Price Neuropsychology Award for distinguished achievement in the Neuropsychology Concentration, Widener University (2007-2008)
  • Top 10% Paper Presentation Award, American Epilepsy Society (December 2010)

Memberships / Professional Affiliations

  • Philadelphia Neuropsychological Society
    • Professional member since 2007
    • Board member since 2011 (current president elect)
  • National Academy of Neuropsychology
  • International Neuropsychological Society
  • American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology

Kathryn Lester, PsyD, ABPP, is the director of the Neuropsychology program, where she performs outpatient neuropsychological evaluations. She is board certified in clinical neuropsychology. Dr. Lester specializes in the function of the brain and its relationship to patient behaviors. She works with patients across the lifespan in assessing a range of developmental and acquired neurological conditions, as well as differentiating the cognitive difficulties caused by underlying psychiatric disease.

Clinical Services

Neuropsychological testing, Neuropsychology

Internships

  • Pre-doctoral Internship - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (2008-2009) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2007-2008)

Fellowships

  • Neuropsychology - Georgia Regents University, Medical College of Georgia (2009-2011)

Kathryn Lester, PsyD, ABPP, is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology. Prior to coming to Drexel, she co-taught graduate-level courses at Medical College of Georgia from 2009-2011.

Research Interests

Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disease, sleep dysfunction and affect on cognition, concussion/mTBI, use of new/innovative/emerging therapies (viz., rTMS) in treating cognitive dysfunction

Research

Dr. Lester's current research interests include neurodegenerative conditions and mild traumatic brain injury. She has published and presented her research on the long-term effects of cancer treatments, the usefulness of Wada in predicting post-surgical outcomes in patients with epilepsy, frontal memory disorders in patients with epilepsy, cognitive outcomes of children following temporal lobectomy, and the clinical utility of neuropsychological testing in determining driving ability in patients with MS.

Publications

Published Papers

"Usefulness of verbal selective reminding to distinguish frontal lobe memory disorders"
*Johnson-Markve, B.L., Viner, K.M., Lee, G.P., & Loring, D.W.
Epilepsy & Behavior, 22, 313-317, 2011

"Cognitive changes in response to treatment of brain tumors: The late-delayed effects of radiation therapy" (Doctoral dissertation)
Viner, K.M.
Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (Publication No. [3405218]), 2009

Books and Chapters in Books

Invited co-author:

"Toxicometabolic disorders and nutritional deficiencies"
Meager, M.R., Lester, K.V., and Lee, G.P.
In Neuropsychology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias (2nd Ed.): Parks, R.W., Zec, R.F., Bondi, M.W., and Jefferson, A.L. (Ed.) New York: Oxford University Press, manuscript in preparation for submission, 2015

Abstracts

"Reliable digit span and MMPI-2 F scale performance in epilepsy surgery patients"
*Meager, M.R., Lester, K.V. & Lee, G.P.
The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 26(3), 415-416, 2012

"Predictors of nociferous cortex in children with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy"
*Lee, G.P., Lee, S.H., Viner Lester, K.M., Cohen, M.J. & Park, Y.D.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18, Supplement S1, 292, 2012

"Type of Temporal Lobe Surgical Intervention and Cognitive Outcome in Children and Adolescents with Intractable Epilepsy"
*Lee, G.P., Park, Y.D., Cohen, M.J., Viner, K.M., Murro, A.M., Miranda, S., Strickland, S., Smith, J.R. & Giller, C.A.
Epilepsia. American Epilepsy Society Abst 2.003, 2011

"Usefulness of neuropsychological testing in predicting on-road driving abilities in patients with multiple sclerosis"
*Viner, K.M., Akinwuntan, A.E., Lee, G.P., Casillas, R., Williams, M.J., Stepleman, L.M.
The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 25, 571, 2011

"Wada risk for memory loss reliably predicts postoperative verbal memory decline in left temporal lobectomy patients"
*Lee, G.P., Park, Y.D., Viner, K.M., Murro, A.M., Miranda, S., & Strickland, S.
Epilepsia 0, Suppl 0, 1.230, 2010

"Relationship of subjective patient complaints to neuropsychological test performance and diagnosis"
*Viner, K.M. & Lee, G.P.
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 25, 542, 2010

"Late-effects of radiation treatment on memory in adult brain tumor patients"
*Viner, K.M., & Armstrong, C.L.
The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 24, 608-609, 2010

Presentations

By Invitation

"Passing the hug test: Diagnosing and differentiating dementias through neuropsychological assessment"
Lester, K.V.
Capital Institute for Neurosciences’ 6th Annual National Neuroscience Conference, Atlantic City, N.J., October 2014

By Peer Review

"Lateralizing effects on quality of life self-ratings and neuropsychological test performance in temporal lobectomy patients"
Meager, M.R., Lee, G.P., Lester, K.L., Murro, A.M., Park, J.D., Strickland, S.M., Moore-Hill, D., & Giller, C.A.
American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology 11th Annual Meeting, Chicago, Ill., June 2013

"Prediction of post-surgical memory decline in temporal lobectomy patients using ipsilateral Wada memory scores"
Meager, M.R., Lee, G.P., Lester, K.L., Cohen, M.J., Park, J.D., Murro, A.M., Strickland, S.M., Moore-Hill, D., & Giller, C.A.   
American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology 11th Annual Meeting, Chicago, Ill.,  June 2013

"Predictors of nociferous cortex in children with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy"
Lee, G.P., Lee, S.H., Viner Lester, K.M., Cohen, M.J. & Park, Y.D.
International Neuropsychological Society 40th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, February 2012

"Is neuropsychological testing useful in predicting on-road driving abilities in patients with Multiple Sclerosis?"
Viner, K.M., Akinwuntan, A.E., Lee, G.P.
American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology 9th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., June 2011

"Wada risk for memory loss reliably predicts postoperative verbal memory decline in left temporal lobectomy patients"
Lee, G.P., Park, Y.D., & Viner, K.M.
American Epilepsy Society 64th Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, December 2010

"Late-effects of radiation treatment on memory in adult brain tumor patients"
Viner, K.M. 
American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology 8th Annual Meeting, Chicago, Ill., June 2010

"Relationship of subjective patient complaints to neuropsychological test performance and diagnosis"
Viner, K.M.
National Academy of Neuropsychology 30th Annual Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, October 2010