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Maria Kryza-Lacombe, PhD
Maria Kryza-Lacombe, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow | She/Her
Postdoctoral Fellow | She/Her
I'm a Postdoctoral in Neuropsychology/Geropsychology at the Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) Advanced Fellowship program at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the UC San Francisco Late Life Depression Program.
My research focuses on the intersection of mental and cognitive health and has been informed by perspectives from neuroscience, neuropsychology, and mental health with a strong focus on clinical translation. I examine the neural and neuropsychological mechanisms underlying emotional and cognitive dysfunction and resilience in older adults and how these mechanisms can be leveraged to inform cognitive and behavioral prevention and intervention efforts to optimize wellbeing and vitality during the aging process.
Research Interests
Research Interests
Translational Clinical Neuroscience
Individual Differences
Positive Valence System
Executive Functioning
Well-Being
Selected Awards and Honors
Selected Awards and Honors
Joint Doctoral Program Teaching Award
In recognition of demonstrated excellence and significant contributions to the quality of education at San Diego State University, 2021
Dorathe Frick Memorial Award
In recognition of significant contributions made to the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 2019
Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship
San Diego State University 2016 – 2018
Joseph Barmack Award - Best Master’s Thesis
City College of New York, 2016
Professional Affiliations
Professional Affiliations
American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP)
International Neuropsychological Society (INS)
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
Neurocognitive Therapies and Translational Research (NTTR) Special Interest Group (SIG) at ABCT
Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology (SSCP)
Academic & Research Path
Academic & Research Path
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, 2022
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, 2022
San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
San Diego, CA
Major Area of Study: Neuropsychology
Emphasis: Quantitative Methods
Dissertation: The moderating role of executive functioning on the neural mechanisms of reward processing in youths with irritability
Advisors: Jillian Lee Wiggins, Ph.D., Charles T. Taylor, Ph.D.
M.S., Clinical Psychology, 2018
M.S., Clinical Psychology, 2018
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Thesis: Neural correlates of the irritability dimension across typical youths and youths with autism spectrum disorder
Advisor: Jillian Lee Wiggins, Ph.D.
M.A., General Psychology, 2016
M.A., General Psychology, 2016
City College of New York, New York, NY
Thesis: Hedonia and eudaimonia: Associations with academic success, wellbeing, and neuropsychological functioning
Advisor: Sarah O’Neill, Ph.D.
Research Project Coordinator, 2014-2016
Research Project Coordinator, 2014-2016
Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Supervisors: Denise Correa, Ph.D., ABPP-CN; Eli Diamond, M.D.
Research Study Assistant, 2011-2014
Research Study Assistant, 2011-2014
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Department of Neurology, 2012 - 2014, Supervisor: Denise Correa, Ph.D., ABPP-CN
Integrative Medicine Service, 2011-2012, Supervisor: Berrie Cassileth, Ph.D.
B.S., Psychology, summa cum laude, 2009
B.S., Psychology, summa cum laude, 2009
State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY
Honor’s Thesis: Perspectives of psychosomatic medicine: An integration of psychoneuroimmunology and epigenetics
Advisor: Jeanne Ryan, Ph.D.
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