Stephany Cox is a psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist who provides consultations and assessments for children and adolescents with medical conditions that affect brain development. Her expertise includes congenital heart disease; genetic disorders; extreme prematurity; pediatric cancer; and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In performing an evaluation, her goal is to identify neurocognitive strengths and weaknesses related to a child's medical condition to help families, medical providers and educators better understand the impact of a child's medical condition or treatment on the child's daily functioning and ongoing development. Based on the results, she works with families and educators to develop a supportive plan for each child, tailoring recommendations for accommodations, services and interventions across home, school, and community settings.
In addition, Cox serves as co-director of the UCSF Healthy Hearts and Minds (H2M) Program, a neurodevelopmental follow-up clinic for children with congenital heart disease. She works with a multidisciplinary team of specialists in congenital heart disease, including pediatric cardiologists, neonatologists, nurses, dietitians, and social workers.
The primary focus of Cox's research is neurodevelopmental outcomes for children with complex congenital heart disease. She has also conducted research on other medical conditions affecting brain development, neurocognitive profiles of neurodevelopmental disorders (especially autism spectrum disorder) and intervention programs for patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Cox earned her doctorate in a combined clinical and school psychology program at the Curry School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. She completed a predoctoral internship in pediatric psychology at Children's Hospital of Orange County, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Children's National Hospital.