The Brain Episode with Dr. Stephanie Punt

Send us Fan MailDr. Stephanie Punt is a clinical neuropsychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles where she cares for individuals with acute and chronic illness, including post 9/11 Veterans through Operation Mend. She grew up toggling between rural and urban communities in the Pacific Northwest and has a longstanding interest in improving rural health. Dr. Punt earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Psychology at the University of Kansas with specialization in Health Psychology. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Washington. She was recently recognized by the National Academy of Neuropsychology and was awarded the Early Career Tony Wong Diversity Award for her dedication to leveraging her neuropsychology training to enhance the well-being of students and families, especially those with marginalized identities in rural Kansas. Her mission is to enrich brain health equity, and alongside a multidisciplinary team of colleagues at the University of Kansas, has helped create the infrastructure for and deploy community health workers to rural communities across Kansas. These community health workers, known as trusted "boots on the ground," play a crucial role in helping marginalized students and families access essential social determinants of health such as food, shelter, and transportation. She also has presented on and has multiple peer-reviewed publications on a breadth of health psychology topics.In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering with two non-profit organizations—Creative Healing for Youth in Pain (CHYP)—a resource for adolescence experiencing chronic pain (https://mychyp.org) and Gather Pax Mentis—a program that builds community for adolescents with developmental disabilities and their families (www.gatherpax.org).Listening to this podcast or using this platform does not imply nor establish any type of doctor/patient relationship. No diagnosis or treatment is being provided by the use of this platform. The use of this platform does not constitute nor offer any specific medical or psychological advice to anyone and is not intended for that use. This platform is not responsible for any misinterpretation of the information provided within this podcast or any consequences resulting from the use of this platform.Dr. Stephanie Punt website: https://www.stephaniepuntphd.com/ Dr. Stephanie Punt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniepuntFor more information about UCLA Operation Mend: https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/operationmend