Dr. Rayna Hirst's BRAIN lab (Behavioral Research and Assessment In Neuropsychology) conducts research in brain-behavior relationships and neuropsychological assessment. Current research topics include the influence of chronic marijuana use on cognition, the neuropsychological effects of sport-related concussion, and factors that influence the valid and reliable neuropsychological assessment of patients. Dr. Hirst’s research has focused on factors that can impact the legitimacy of clinical neuropsychological assessment, such as the examinee’s motivation to perform well; she has identified motivational statements that can enhance cognitive performance in chronic marijuana users. Her research also identified that most people can guess, at levels significantly greater than chance, whether a photograph is of a cannabis user or a non-user, simply based on appearance – a phenomenon she refers to as the “jay-dar”.

As Dr. Hirst is interested in all topics related to neuropsychological performance (e.g., memory impairment, executive dysfunction), as well as the clinical process of neuropsychological assessment (e.g., standards of practice in using effort testing during assessment), she is also open to exploring diverse research ideas with students in her research lab.

Dr. Hirst completed her undergraduate education at Penn State University, and worked in the Neuropsychology Lab with Dr. Peter Arnett and Dr. Frank Hillary on the Penn State Concussion Study. She completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, with a focus on Neuropsychology and Addictions with Dr. Mitch Earleywine. Her predoctoral internship in psychology/neuropsychology was completed at the VA Ann Arbor/University of Michigan Healthcare System, under the supervision of Dr. Kenneth Adams, Dr. Linas Bieliauskas, and Dr. Henry Buchtel. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School in the Brain Imaging Lab, and worked with Dr. Laura Flashman, Dr. Robert Roth, and Dr. Heather Wishart.

In her spare time, Dr. Hirst enjoys global travel (the farther away, the better!), running, hiking, skiing, cooking, music, and adventuring with her husband and daughter.

• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine (2012)
• Internship in Clinical Psychology, VA Ann Arbor/University of Michigan Healthcare System (2010)
• PhD Clinical Psychology, University at Albany, SUNY (2010)
• MA Clinical Psychology, University at Albany, SUNY (2008)
• BA Psychology, Penn State University (2005)