HNS is proud to recognize Dr. Patricia Perez-Arce as the February 2012 Member of the Month.
Hometown: Mexico City the first 13 years, San Francisco 18 years, Oakland, CA, for the past 10
Employer: Self employed
Clinical population you work with: In my private practice my specialty is forensics and within it potential and actual capital punishment cases and habeas corpus appeals. Thus far I have been involved with the defense side in California and out-of-state cases in the western United States. In these type of cases I have worked as a mitigation specialist when the issues involve a defendant with evidence of brain damage and my role has been to recommend a team of expert witnesses to address the various aspects of the defense and to provide consultation to the attorneys on brain damage and assessment issues. My community practice is based in Oakland, CA. I work as a consultant to the Clinica de la Raza’s mental health department, Casa del Sol. La Clínica is a community based organization that serves the Spanish speaking population for Alameda County, and at Casa del Sol I am part of the leadership group and head it’s neuropsychology service which evaluates adults and children and their families.
Research interests and/or current research projects: In the last 20 years my research has focused on the neuropsychology of Latinos and occupational neurotoxic exposure. I am part of a team headed by Rosemarie Bowler, Ph.D., who has done extensive research and evaluation of workers exposed to solvents, manganese, and other neurotoxins throughout the United States. My current involvement is a longitudinal study of Latino welders who worked on the Bay Bridge in 2005 and 2008.
How did you get bitten by the Hispanic neuropsychology bug? I became fascinated by neuropsychology while working as an intern at the San Francisco V.A. Medical Center where I did a 6-month mini-rotation. I then did a neuropsychology residency and fellowship in neuropsychology at the same site. In terms of latino neuropsychology, I have focused all of my research work, from my master’s thesis to the present, on Latino children and adults.
If you had to pick one place in your current town to take a tourist where would you go and why? My husband and I have a house facing the ocean on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. We spend time there 4 months out of the year. Oaxaca is unquestionably the richest state in Mexico in terms of the number of unique indigenous groups, its arts and crafts, and it cuisine. It was the center of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations.
Name one thing not many people know about you? I am a dedicated Bikram yoga practitioner
If given a choice to skip work for a day, how would you spend the day? Watching the ocean, being aware of everything that surrounds me, melting into the cosmos.
What is something you’ve won and how did you win it? I won a blue ribbon research award
1989 Blue Ribbon Research Award in Clinical Neuropsychology: “Neuropsychological screening of children exposed to neurotoxins while in-utero (Pérez-Arce,et al.).” Division 40 (Neuropsychology) of the American Psychological Association, Annual APA Convention, New Orleans, LA.
1988-1989 President of Psychology Staff, Napa State Hospital, CA.
1988-1989 Chairperson of the Affiliate Council. Napa State Hospital, CA.