Program Faculty

OSH-PIP Administration

Dr. Julia Howe (pronouns: she/her/hers) is the Chief of Psychology at OSH.  She has worked at OSH since August 2014 and has worked as a psychologist and manager on both the Salem and Junction City campuses.  She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and completed her predoctoral internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences.  She has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of clinical settings in addition to state hospital including in juvenile and adult corrections, community mental health center, inpatient and outpatient mental health services, and specialized inpatient behavioral intervention program.  Her clinical interests include evidence-based practices, recovery-oriented treatment of psychosis, mental health policy, training and development, resiliency and positive psychology, and organizational health.

Dr. Ericia Leeper (pronouns: she/her/hers) serves as the Co-Training Director of OSH-PIP. She is also a Certified Forensic Evaluator and a supervising psychologist in the Forensic Evaluation Service (FES) rotation. She has worked at OSH since June 2014. She received her doctoral degree from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in 2004. She completed her internship at Westborough State Hospital in Massachusetts, and her post-doctoral training through the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Forensic Health Services. She has been completing court ordered evaluations, including competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, diminished capacity, and sexually violent predator risk assessments, as a licensed psychologist since 2005. Her clinical and research interests include increasing the knowledge and utility of Declarations of Mental Health Treatment (psychiatric advanced directives), including as a long-term solution in addressing the fitness to proceed crisis through diverting and decriminalizing those with lived experiences.

Dr. Sarah Robertson (pronouns: she/her/hers) serves as the Co-Training Director of OSH-PIP. She is also a supervising psychologist in the Competency Restoration Program. She has worked at OSH since September 2016. She received her doctoral degree from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. She completed her internship training at the Yale Department of Psychiatry Adult Community Mental Health track and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Connecticut in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation program. Dr. Robertson’s interests include recovery-oriented treatment of complex trauma and psychosis, program development, training, and mental health policy.

Internship Training Committee Members

Dr. Andrea Avila (pronouns: she/her/hers) is the supervising psychologist for the Psychology Assessment rotation. Within that rotation, she supervises psychological assessments for diagnostic clarity, personality assessment, treatment recommendations, violence risk assessment, and cognitive impairments. She is also a Certified Forensic Evaluator and periodically completes forensic evaluations at OSH as well as in private practice. Dr. Avila completed her JD/PhD at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the serious mental illness research group with Dr. Will Spaulding with concentrations in forensics, statistics, and criminal law. She completed her internship with OSH-PIP and a forensic fellowship at Patton State Hospital. She then returned to OSH to work in FES for two years before transitioning to her current position. Her past experience includes community mental health programs with coordinated service provision, outpatient individual therapy, corrections, and probation department projects, as well as state hospital work. She has several published peer-reviewed journal articles, law review articles, and book/textbook chapters, as well as ongoing research projects. She is currently serving as co-chair for the 2023 AP-LS conference. Her interests include psychiatric advanced directives, improving the utility and scientific rigor of general and forensic assessments, developing and testing comprehensive treatment services for people with SMI, and development of law/policy that reflects evidenced-based practices and a recovery orientation for people with SMI.

Dr. Nicole Ball (pronouns: she/her/hers)is a supervising psychologist in the Competency Restoration Program and has worked at OSH since 2011. She is also a Certified Forensic Evaluator and maintains a private practice. Dr. Ball received her doctoral degree from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (currently Palo Alto University). She completed her internship training at the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine. She completed her post-doctoral training at Forensic Psychology and Neuropsychology Services, P.C. She has earned her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law through a joint J.D./Ph.D. program. Her clinical and research interests include forensic evaluation, neuropsychological assessment, competency restoration, assessment of psychopathology, and supervision.

Dr. Andy Bustos (pronouns: he/him/his) is a supervising psychologist in the Forensic Evaluation Service (FES) rotation. A Southern California native, he graduated with his doctorate from Rosemead School of Psychology in 2021. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program – Moose Lake (MSOP). Following this, he completed his Forensic Postdoctoral Fellowship at Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, VA. Since then, he has been working full-time at Oregon State Hospital. His clinical and research interests revolve around multicultural and person-centered assessment in forensic evaluations, strength-based assessment, effective clinical supervision, and both pre-trial and post-trial forensic evaluations including fitness to proceed, guilty except for insanity, violence risk assessment, and sexual violence risk assessment.

Dr. Katherine Davenport (pronouns: she/her/hers) serves at the supervising psychologist for interns co-leading Practicum Group Supervision rotation. She has worked at OSH since August 2016. She received her doctoral degree from George Fox University. She completed her internship training at Mississippi State Hospital and her post-doctoral training at Oregon State Hospital. She is an active member of APA’s Community and State Hospital section of Division 18. Dr. Davenport’s interests include recovery-oriented treatment of psychosis, trauma informed care, treatment of trauma for persons experiencing serious mental illness, mental health policy, and the relationship between organizational culture, patient care, and compassion fatigue.

Dr. Reid Faith (pronouns: he/him, they/them) is a co-facilitator for intern group supervision. He received his doctoral degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. He completed his clinical internship at Oregon State Hospital (2022-2023 cohort) and is currently completing his post-doctoral residency at Oregon State Hospital on a Harbors unit. His clinical and research interests include psychopathy, particularly among individuals with sexual offense histories; treatment and assessment of serious and persistent mental illness; and forensic assessment of both competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility.

Dr. Amie Hvizdak (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a supervising psychologist for interns in the Risk Assessment rotation. She has worked at OSH since December 2015, with experience as a psychologist in the Sexual Offending Treatment Program (SOTP) on the Salem campus and, more recently, as a Risk Assessment psychologist in Junction City where her primarily duties include conducting violence, fire-setting, sexual risk assessments. She received her doctoral degree from the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology and completed both her internship and post-doctoral training at Torrance State Hospital. Her clinical and research interests include sexual and violence risk assessment, forensic evaluation, and personality and psychopathy assessment. She also maintains certification as a clinical sex offense therapist and forensic evaluator in Oregon.

Dr. Breann Martin (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a supervising psychologist for the Violence Risk Assessment minor rotation. She has worked at OSH in Junction City since 2015, completing various risk assessments and acting as a psychology representative for Risk Review. She completed her doctoral training at Alliant International University, her internship training at Torrance State Hospital in Pennsylvania, and her post-doctoral training at OSH. Dr. Martin’s interests include forensic evaluation, risk assessment, psychodiagnostic evaluation, and psychopathy.

Dr. Jessica Murakami-Brundage (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a supervising psychologist for the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis minor rotation and serves as the OSH-PIP Research Committee Chair. She has worked at Oregon State Hospital since 2013, first on a GEI unit, and then on a “370” unit. She continues to search for time (and occasionally succeeds) to conduct independent research at the hospital. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and regularly presents at national conferences. In addition to providing clinical supervision, she provides supervision of dissertation research at the hospital. She is an active member of APA’s Community and State Hospital section of Division 18, and for the past three years, has been a member of APA’s Task Force on Serious Mental Illness/Severe Emotional Disturbance. She attended graduate school at the University of Oregon, completed her internship at the VA-Pacific Islands Healthcare System, and her post-doctoral fellowship through a T32 grant at the Psychopathology Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision or Dr. Aaron T. Beck.

Dr. Sara Phillips (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a supervising psychologist in the gero-psychiatric/neurobehavioral Springs program and has worked at OSH since July, 2010. She received her doctoral degree from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco, CA and completed her internship and post-doctoral training at OSH. Her clinical and research interests include adult development and aging; geriatric mental and behavioral health; and assessment of neurocognitive functioning, decision-making, and functional capacity.

Dr. Uma Sankaram (pronouns: she/her/hers) is the supervising psychologist for the Sex Offender Risk Assessment rotation. She has worked at OSH since September 2015 and is the lead worker for OSH’s Sexual Offense Treatment Program (SOTP). Dr. Sankaram earned her first master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2008), and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Pacific University with a specialization in forensics (2014). She completed her internship at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, followed by a formal post-doctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Treatment Center. Dr. Sankaram is a Certified Forensic Evaluator and is MAHPS-credentialed to conduct Sexual Risk Assessments. At OSH, Dr. Sankaram’s roles include completing evaluations specific to sexual and violence risk, psychopathy, and adjudicative competency, as well as providing consultation and trainings to OSH staff and developing SOTP protocols and programming. She is also a member of the Risk Assessment Committee.

Dr. Danielle Shallcross (pronouns: they/them/she/her) is a supervising psychologist for the Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) and the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) rotations. They are also the lead in the gender affirming consultation team at OSH. They received their doctoral degree from Argosy University/Honolulu and completed internship and post-doctoral training at NYU Langone in Brooklyn, NY. They bring years of experience as a licensed clinical psychologist and certified alcohol and drug counselor having worked in a variety of settings and a variety of states. Their specialties include Addiction Recovery, Co-occurring Disorders, emotion regulation, and working with individuals in the LGBTQ+ communities. Current interests include expanding transgender and gender diverse care and working with individuals who experience non-consensus realities (known as individuals with SMI).

Dr. Molly Shepard (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a supervising psychologist for the Sexual Offending Treatment Program (SOTP) major and minor rotations.  Dr. Shepard also co-facilitates Intern Group Supervision.  She primarily works for SOTP, conducting Psychosexual Evaluations and Violence Risk Assessments, as well as providing sexual offense-specific treatment to patients in the GEI and civil programs.  She completed her pre-doctoral internship with OSH-PIP (2019-2020), including the FES, GEI, DBT, and Risk Assessment rotations.  She graduated from Palo Alto University with an emphasis in Forensic Psychology.  Her clinical and research interests involve sexual and violence risk mitigation, sexual offense-specific treatment, personality functioning, trauma-informed care, systems issues, culture/diversity, and supervision.

Dr. Jen Snyder (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a supervising psychologist in Guilty Except for Insanity (GEI) Program, and provides consultation across units as a part of the Behavioral Psychology Services team. She has worked at OSH since 2013. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Kansas in 1998. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at a joint program between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship on the Pre-trial Evaluation Unit at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. Before coming to OSH, she was the Chief Psychologist on both the Adult Admissions Unit and the Forensic Services Unit at Central Regional Hospital in Butner, North Carolina. Her clinical and research interests include assessment and treatment of severe psychopathology, particularly schizophrenia; assessment and restoration of competency to stand trial; and assessment and treatment of those found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Dr. Jared Speroni (pronouns: he/him/his) is a psychologist in the Forensic Evaluation Service (FES) and has worked at OSH since October 2021. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, he graduated from Palo Alto University with an emphasis in Forensic Psychology. He completed his doctoral internship at Florida State Hospital (2018-2019), including rotations in the maximum security Forensic Admissions Unit and Civil Transitions Unit. He completed his Forensic Postdoctoral Residency at the Center for Behavioral Medicine in Kansas City, MO (2019-2020). His clinical and research interests include risks associated with alcohol mixed-energy drinks, forensic evaluations, competency restoration, as well as the assessment of malingering and violence risk.

Dr. Kris Thomas (pronouns: he/him/his) is the supervising psychologist for the Neuropsychology Assessment and Psychotherapy minor rotations. He came to the hospital in 2014 after completing residency and working as a staff psychologist at Napa State Hospital.  Dr. Thomas completed his graduate education at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in Pasadena, California, where he emphasized neuropsychology, geropsychology and psychodynamic psychotherapy.  He is especially interested in forensic neuropsychological assessment, personality and psychodiagnostic assessment, the development of strategies to improve cognitive functioning in persons with psychiatric and neurological conditions, and adapting psychoanalytic theory and interventions to the treatment of persons with severe psychiatric disorders in a hospital setting.

Dr. Mike Wojtkowicz (pronouns: he/him/his) is a supervising psychologist in the Forensic Evaluation Service (FES) and certified forensic evaluator. He has worked at OSH since June of 2020, and he is a former OSH-PIP alumnus (2017-18 cohort). He received his doctoral degree from Pacific University in Oregon. He completed his post-doctoral training at the Children’s Farm Home in Oregon, which is a juvenile psychiatric residential treatment facility. He still works at the Children’s Farm Home conducting juvenile fitness to proceed and clinical evaluations as well as individual, group, and family therapy. His clinical and research interests include forensic assessment, autism spectrum disorders, and behavioral principles.