Biography: Clemente Vega is a licensed psychologist with specialized training in neuropsychology. He currently holds appointments as an assistant professor in the Neurology Department at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and as instructor in the Psychiatry Department at the Harvard School of Medicine. He earned a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Carlos Albizu University in Miami, Florida and received his clinical training from Miami Children’s Hospital for internship and Yale University School of Medicine for fellowship. His doctoral dissertation was a prospective study comparing executive control skills in bilingual and monolingual 8 to 10 year olds.
Focus of clinical research is mainly in the area of pediatric epilepsy with prospective projects exploring neuropsychological and affective comorbidities in relatively “mild” epilepsy syndromes such as childhood absence seizures and benign rolandic epilepsy. In addition, other projects exploring neuropsychological factors in surgery patients are also in progress. Current cross-cultural research involves a pilot project collecting data on the incidence of neurodevelopmental morbidity in children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in Peru. This project is in collaboration with Partners in Health and Harvard University, and includes a long-term goal of establishing early intervention programs to minimize long-term effects of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Personal Statement: My main areas of interest include improving professional skills as a service provider to the Hispanic/Latino populations and patient advocacy. I am personally aware of the need for improving access to education surrounding mental health disorders as well as for the provision of neuropsychological services to such an underserved population in the U.S. and abroad. As a result, the need for more specialized training of current and future providers (e.g., students) is a critical factor that drives my personal commitment and contribution to HNS, and more specifically, as a potential Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee.
Employer: Children’s Hospital Boston/ Harvard University School of Medicine
Hometown: Aibonito, Puerto Rico (primary school); West Palm Beach, Florida
Research interests and/or current research projects: (see above for more details)
- Pediatric epilepsy syndromes and surgical outcomes
- Neurodevelopmental disorders in international populations (Peru)
Name one thing not many people know about you. I thoroughly enjoy national and international politics, and especially appreciate friendly debates about Cuba with my grandparents.
What is something you’ve won and how did you win it? In 2007, I was awarded “Director of the Year” while working as director of a monolingual Spanish-speaking program at an inpatient facility for adolescents and adults with substance abuse and comorbid psychiatric disorders. As to how I won it, I think many would probably agree that it was based on luck or default.
What is something you should throw away, but can’t? Explain. I have kept every birthday card that my mother has sent me since I moved out when I was 18. They are all exactly the same: she underlines the “Hallmark” message and signs it Mami. I can’t imagine throwing them away because I believe it would hurt her feelings.
What books are your reading right now?
- Aleph, by Paolo Coehlo
- Nacion y Sociedad en la Historia del Peru, by Peter Klaren
If given a choice to skip work for a day, how would you spend the day? Definitely at the beach- any beach- but ideally one in Siesta Key, FL.