Licensed Clinical Psychologists
Rene Barbieri-Welge, Ph.D.
Rene has been a licensed psychologist since 1998 and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 1999. She is also a licensed speech-language pathologist since 1983. Rene specializes in developmental assessment of infants and young children with a wide range of developmental issues, including prematurity, prenatal substance exposure, failure to thrive, developmental delay, language delay, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Angelman’s syndrome. She received her doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to coming to Rady Children’s, Rene completed her postdoctoral training in pediatric psychology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Rene is bilingual (English/Spanish).
Ayala Ben-Tall, Ph.D.
Ayala has been a licensed psychologist since 1999 and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 2000. She received her doctorate in counseling/clinical/school psychology, with emphasis in child clinical psychology, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She completed a predoctoral internship at Johns Hopkins/Kennedy Krieger Institute with an emphasis on treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders and feeding disorders. She also completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship specializing in the evaluation and treatment of children with developmental disabilities and mental health disorders at Brown University Medical School. At the Developmental Evaluation Clinic, Ayala specializes in the evaluation of a variety of developmental and behavioral concerns including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning/developmental problems. She is part of two multidisciplinary teams in Rady Children’s Developmental Services, including the Feeding Team, where she provides psychological/developmental support within multidisciplinary feeding evaluations and treatment groups. Additionally, she is a member of the Cochlear Implant Team, providing pre-cochlear implant psychological and developmental evaluations. Ayala has also served as a clinical supervisor and mentor to predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
Debra Broadbooks, Ph.D.
Debra has been a licensed psychologist since 1999 and has worked at Rady Children’s since 2004. She earned her doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego (now Alliant University). She specializes in psychoeducational evaluation of school-aged children with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, other behavioral disorders and executive dysfunction, as well as in developmental assessment of preschool-aged children with a variety of learning, social, attentional and behavioral disorders.
Stephany Cox, Ph.D.
Stephany has been a licensed psychologist since 2017 and started at Rady Children’s in 2023. She is a pediatric neuropsychologist with expertise in medical conditions including congenital heart disease, genetic disorders, extreme prematurity, and neonatal brain injuries. At the Developmental Evaluation Clinic, Stephany specializes in comprehensive neurodevelopmental evaluations of young children who present with a variety of developmental concerns including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, executive functioning, and learning difficulties. Prior to joining the team, Stephany was an Associate Clinical Professor and pediatric neuropsychologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. At UCSF, she helped to establish and served as the co-director for Healthy Hearts & Minds, a neurodevelopmental follow-up program for patients with congenital heart disease. Stephany received her doctorate in clinical and school psychology from the University of Virginia. She completed a predoctoral internship in pediatric psychology at Children’s Hospital Orange County and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.
Yanan Guo, Psy.D., BCBA,
Yanan is a licensed clinical psychologist at Rady Children’s Hospital Developmental Evaluation Clinic where she provides comprehensive evaluations for children 0-5 years with developmental, mental health, medical, and family needs. She also provides developmental evaluations for Rady’s KidSTART program, a program for children ages 0-5 with complex developmental and mental health needs. Yanan is also a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA); she specialized in working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder before starting her doctorate program, providing behavioral services and parent training. Yanan received her doctorate in Applied Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, San Diego.
Amanda Hyatt, Ph.D.
Amanda has been a licensed psychologist since 1987 and started working at Rady Children’s Hospital in 2022. Before joining the team, Dr. Hyatt worked at Loma Linda University Health in the capacity of an assistant professor and as a full-time neuropsychologist participating in transdisciplinary team evaluations at an autism assessment clinic. Amanda specializes in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychologist evaluations of young children and adolescents. She received her master’s degree in early childhood special education from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana and her doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She completed her doctoral internship and two years postdoctoral training in the Department of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics under the oversight of Dr. Kenneth Swaiman, a pediatric neurologist. Dr. Hyatt’s career has centered on fostering optimal development in children and adolescents who struggle with neurodevelopmental, neurological, learning and social-emotional challenges. Specifically, she has focused on the assessment of these patients as she strongly believes that a comprehensive diagnostic assessment leads to a fuller understanding of the child/adolescent as well as a relevant and dynamic treatment plan.
Carolyn Korbel, Ph.D.
Carolyn has been a licensed psychologist since 2009 and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 2015. She specializes in pediatric neuropsychology, including evaluation of autism spectrum disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disorders and concerns in the area of emotional and behavioral regulation. Carolyn received her doctorate from the University of Utah. Prior to coming to Rady Children’s, Carolyn completed an internship at Primary Children’s Medical Center and post-doctoral training at the Neurobehavioral Clinic & Professional Psychology Group.
Rosalva Martinez, Psy.D.
Rosalva has been a licensed psychologist since 2015 and joined the Rady Children’s Hospital team in 2021. She received her Doctor of Psychology degree in clinical psychology from Biola University- Rosemead School of Psychology in 2009. Prior to coming to Rady Children’s, Rosalva provided community-based clinical interventions to at-risk children and families. She specializes in providing comprehensive developmental evaluations for children ages 0-5 in both English and Spanish, who present with a variety of developmental and mental health needs. Rosalva is also part of a multidisciplinary team that treats young children with feeding issues.
Victoria Moore, Psy.D.
Victoria has been a licensed psychologist since 2008 and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 2015. She provides comprehensive developmental evaluations for a broad range of developmental, behavioral and mental health concerns, with a particular focus in autism spectrum disorders. Victoria received her doctorate of clinical psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Rady Children’s, she completed a pre-doctoral internship at the May Institute, a postdoctoral fellowship at the Watson Institute and provided evaluation, diagnosis and treatment at the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center. Victoria has taught courses in psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and at Southeast Missouri State University. She is currently a co-director of the Rady Children’s Hospital APPIC-approved Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
Mercedes Pratt, Ph.D.
Mercedes is a licensed psychologist and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 2022. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University and completed her predoctoral internship at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Prior to coming to Rady Children’s, Mercedes gained specialized experience working with young children with autism spectrum disorders and developmental delays through her postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center- Children’s Health Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. In her current role, Mercedes specializes in comprehensive diagnostic evaluations of young children for a variety of developmental and mental health related concerns. Her goal in working at Rady Children’s Hospital is to provide compassionate care, help families understand their child’s strengths and challenges, and guide them toward valuable services
Postdoctoral Fellows
Melina Islas, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Melina is a Post-Doctoral Fellow from the University of Arizona where she received her doctorate in school psychology. She completed her doctoral internship in Utah with the Jordan School District, where she conducted psychoeducational evaluations, neuropsychological evaluations, and provided mental health services to children and families. She has extensive experience with school systems including knowledge of the services schools provide and the processes necessary to access these services. Melina’s goal in working at Rady Children’s Hospital is to provide parents and caregivers with a thorough understanding of their child’s strengths, challenges, and overall development and to arm parents with actionable next steps to addressing their child’s needs as necessary. She aims to do this by building trusting relationships with caregivers so that they may feel comfortable asking questions and confident that their information is handled with sensitivity and compassion.
Therapists
Carla Dykes, L.M.F.T.
Carla has been a licensed marriage and family therapist since 2016. Prior to coming to Rady Children’s in 2021, Carla worked with individuals, couples and families with severe mental illness in various settings—which included non-profit, group practice, and private practice in both San Diego and Riverside counties. Carla has supervised postgraduate individuals pursuing licensure with the Board of Behavioral Sciences in California. Carla’s brings a non-judgmental approach in her treatment, and incorporates treatment interventions from cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing modalities. Carla’s goal in working at Rady Children’s Hospital is to help parents and children feel comfortable and confident in navigating their journey and reaching their treatment goals.
Triage and Care Coordination
Kailee Gronow, M.S., Child and Family Specialist
Kailee became an integral part of the Rady Children’s team in 2022 as a Child and Family Specialist. With a foundation in Psychological Brain Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master’s degree in Psychology from Arizona State University, she adeptly links families to essential resources during evaluation waits, optimizes patient access, and provides clinical triage. Kailee’s experience includes crisis counseling and behavioral intervention, particularly with LGBTQ+ youth through the Trevor Project. Her goal is to empower families with the tools for their child’s growth and development journey, while also excelling in care coordination and guiding families through the referral process.
Allison Scofield, Child and Family Specialist
Allison joined Rady Children’s in 2021 as a child and family specialist for DEC in Murrieta where she provides care coordination services and support to families in southwest Riverside County. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has worked with children and families for many years in home and educational settings.In her previous work, she was certified as an early intervention specialist by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and provided service coordination to families in an early intervention program. Allison is committed to helping families access available resources to help support their child’s growth and development.
Administration
Meghan Lukasik, Ph.D., Manager & APPIC Co-Training Director
Meghan has been a licensed clinical psychologist since 1998 and has worked at Rady Children’s Hospital since 1999. Meghan specializes in the assessment of infants and young children. She has extensive experience in diagnostic assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders and early mental health concerns. She is the former clinical director of Rady Children’s KidSTART program; a program for children ages 0-5 with complex developmental and mental health needs. In addition to providing direct clinical service, Meghan currently manages the Developmental Evaluation Clinic and is the Co-training director for the clinic’s APPIC-approved postdoctoral fellowship program. Meghan’s goal in working at Rady Children’s Hospital is to positively impact the lives of children by working in partnership with their families and other professionals.
Teresa Therieau, M.P.H., Director
Teresa Therieau (pronounced Terio), holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology from University of California, Riverside, and a Master’s in Public Health from San Diego State University. Teresa’s most recent experience is as vice president of operations at TrueCare (formerly North County Health Services), a federally qualified health center in northern San Diego County. Previously, Teresa directed the primary care and psychiatric services at St. Vincent de Paul Villages (Father Joe’s). She is also an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Throughout her career, Teresa has focused on making high quality behavioral health services available to all people and now looks forward to bringing her experience and passion to Rady Children’s.
Payal Beam, L.C.S.W., Senior Director of Developmental Services
Payal joins Rady Children’s following her successful tenure at Mental Health Systems in San Diego, where she served as vice president for six years. During her time there, she oversaw multiple service delivery programs for children, youth, adults and older adults, including outpatient, residential treatment programs, employment and housing for families affected by behavioral health disorders. Additional responsibilities included ensuring the quality of clinical and direct services, adhering to program budgets and collaborating with city and county services, housing agencies, colleges and universities, and other community-based organizations throughout San Diego and San Bernardino counties.
Shelley Turner, LCSW, Management Analyst Developmental Services Behavioral Health Programs
As Management analyst, Shelley supports administration and operations for several behavioral health programs, including the Developmental Evaluation Clinic. Shelley has been with Rady Children’s Hospital since 1997 and has been in leadership/administration since 1999. She is a licensed clinical social worker whose entire career has focused on childhood trauma and early childhood mental/behavioral health. Her current role includes program development, grant writing, fiscal oversight and data analysis/reporting.