Allan Andersen, MD
Allan Andersen, MD, is a child psychiatrist with clinical expertise in developmental disorders. He also conducts research focusing on the interaction between epigenetic changes and the immune system in psychiatric disorders.
Ashmita Banerjee, MD
Dr. Banerjee is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with clinical expertise in childhood and adolescence mental health conditions, including depressive and anxiety disorders, ADHD, behavioral disorders, and tic disorders/Tourette’s. She is particularly interested in early onset mania and psychosis. She also provides psychiatric care to rural areas throughout the state of Iowa via the Child Health Specialty Clinics of the Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Nancy Beyer, MD
Nancy Beyer, MD, collaborates with Iowa City schools to enhance access to mental health care through school and community psychiatry programming. She serves as the outpatient and consultation-liaison service medical director. She came to child psychiatry after working 10 years as a pediatric nurse, first completing a graduate degree in Spanish language and literature.
Kaley Boress, PhD
Kaley Boress, PhD is a clinical neuropsychologist who joined the Department of Psychiatry in 2021. She is a lifespan neuropsychologist who works primarily with adolescent, adults, and older adult populations. Her clinical areas of interest include attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, traumatic brain injury, dementia, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy, and complex medical conditions/comorbid psychiatric disorders. She is also involved in a multidisciplinary neurocritical care clinic where she completes neuropsychological assessment with children and adolescents who have sustained acute neurologic injury.
Emira Deumic Shultz, MD
Emira Deumic Shultz, MD is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with clinical interest in diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders across the span of childhood. She has a passion for education and teaching, working closely with medical students, residents, and fellows. She is also the Associate Training Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program.
Jamie Elizalde, PhD
Jaime Elizalde, PhD is a child and adolescent psychologist with a specialization in school psychology. Her specialty areas include anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and Tourette Syndrome. Dr. Elizalde is certified through the Tourette Association of America and has completed advanced training for treatment of OCD through the International OCD Foundation.
Amanda Elliott, DO
Amanda Elliott, DO, is the Medical Director for the Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit and has specific expertise in acute-care health services and interdisciplinary approaches to behavior management in youth with challenging behaviors related to psychiatric conditions. She is the 2022-2024 President Elect of the Iowa Psychiatric Physicians Society, having spent the past 4 years serving as Secretary and Treasurer. She serves on multiple department and hospital wide committees to help improve both quality patient care and staff satisfaction and safety. Medical student, resident, and fellow education are a highlight of her day to day work.
Patricia Espe-Pfeifer, PhD
Patricia Espe-Pfeifer, PhD, directs the Pediatric Neuropsychology Service and is also Director of Sports Psychology and Student-Athlete Mental Health Services for UI Athletics. Her areas of clinical interest include traumatic brain injury, sports-related concussions, epilepsy, stroke, Juvenile Huntington’s Disease, and collegiate athlete mental health. In addition, she specializes in neuropsychological assessment of patients with complex medical histories, including brain injuries as a result of an accident, a stroke, or an infection of the brain, and comorbid psychiatric disorders. Dr. Espe-Pfeifer is a faculty member and provider within the UIHC Stead Family Children’s Hospital Interdisciplinary Neurocritical Care Team and works closely with UI Sports Medicine Concussion Clinic and UI Athletics. She also provides group therapy interventions through the Outpatient Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program. Her areas of research interest include epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Juvenile Huntington’s Disease.
Laura Fuller, PhD, ABPP
Laura Fuller, PhD, ABPP, provides psychological assessment for ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning, and intellectual disability. She specializes in Collaborative and Proactive Solutions, an intervention for children with challenging behaviors, as well as elements of cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions). Dr. Fuller also sees children and adolescents with voiding dysfunction and Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) together with medical providers. She is the Director of the Psychology Division within the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Fuller is also heavily involved in the psychotherapy training for the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry fellows.
Carissa Gunderson, MD
Carissa Gunderson, MD, has expertise in evaluation and treatment of ADHD, OCD, and anxiety disorders. She runs two specialty clinics providing interdisciplinary care for children and has completed advanced training for treatment of OCD through the International OCD Foundation. Dr. Gunderson is dedicated to education and is the Program Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship and mentors the medical student child psychiatry interest group.
Aaron Kauer, MD
Aaron Kauer, MD has specific interests in treating autism spectrum disorders, tic disorders, and anxiety disorders. He also spends time educating medical students and residents. He is board certified in both child and adult psychiatry.
Jennifer Kuhle, PhD, BCBA-D
Jennifer Kuhle, PhD, BCBA-D is a clinical psychologist with a focus in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with challenging behaviors. She is a member of the Intellectual Disabilities/Mental Health team (IDMI) at UIHC and has a history of providing behavioral services in the school setting.
Priya Larson, MD
Priya Larson, MD is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a co-director of the outpatient clinic. She provides general psychiatric care and participates in team evaluations for autism spectrum disorder. She also specializes in gender dysphoria and is passionate about helping other clinicians work in this arena.
Jill Liesveld, MD
Dr. Liesveld’s clinical interests include medication-assisted treatment and treatment of people with co-occurring substance use disorders and psychiatric illness.
Erin Olufs, PhD
Erin Olufs, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist with specialization in behavioral pediatrics and treatment of somatic symptom disorders. She is a member of two interdisciplinary care teams providing evaluation, consultation, and intervention in both Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatrics. Her areas of focus include the treatment of ADHD, encopresis, chronic pain, autonomic dysfunction, and functional neurological symptom disorder.
Kelly Pelzel, PhD
Adjunct
Kelly Pelzel, PhD, is a psychologist with interests in infant and early childhood mental health, parent-mediated interventions, early detection of autism, and interventions for young children with autism. She is the clinical coordinator for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital Autism Center, the psychology consultant for the Regional Autism Assistance Program, and the president of the Iowa Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health.
Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD
Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with expertise in early childhood assessment, ADHD, and research education who runs a developmental neuroscience lab. She is the Child Psychiatry Division Director and an AACAP Distinguished Fellow. Visit her lab website.
Beth Troutman, PhD
Beth Troutman, PhD, trains providers in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, an evidence-based practice developed to reduce disruptive behavior. She has developed a modification of PCIT called Integration of Working Models of Attachment into Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (IoWA-PCIT), which integrates findings from attachment theory research into PCIT. Visit her lab site.
Anureet Walia, MBBS
Dr. Anureet Walia shares a joint appointment within the Departments of Anesthesia, Psychiatry and Pediatrics. She is board certified in Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Pain Medicine. Her primary academic interest is treating chronic pain in the pediatric population, and is the founder and director of the Pediatric Comprehensive Pain Clinic where she combines use of her unique board certifications in child and adolescent psychiatry and pain medicine. Besides that, she also provides clinical services in the Child & Adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit and the Adult Chronic Pain Clinic. She is highly engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.
Emeritus
Samuel Kuperman, MD
