dr.courtneyferrel

Courtney Ferrell Aklin, Ph.D.

Dr. Ferrell Aklin is a Program Director within the Office of Special Programs in Diversity (OSPD) at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). She currently manages a portfolio of cooperative agreements and research programs in OSPD, including the Specialized Neuroscience Research Programs and Collaborative Neurological Sciences Award. In addition, Dr. Ferrell Aklin chairs a NIH-wide neuroscience health disparities seminar series and is involved with several diversity outreach initiatives at national scientific conferences.

Dr. Ferrell Aklin earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and received a joint postdoctoral fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). During her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Ferrell Aklin participated in projects involving the intersection of public policy and research of children with autism at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. Ferrell Aklin engages in research and clinical practice focused on childhood anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD and disruptive behavioral disorders.