Email

vlerma@bcm.edu

Positions

Clinical Research Coordinator

Department of Pediatrics
Division of Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Addresses

Jan & Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Lab)

1250 Moursund St.
Suite 925
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

MA from New York University

New York, New York United States

Psychology

BS from St. Edward's University

Austin, Texas United States

Behavioral Neuroscience

Professional Interests

• Molecular and neural circuit mechanisms in neurological disorders
• Neuropsychological and neuroanatomical profiling in children with newly diagnosed neurogenetic conditions
• Interaction of genotype with neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity and its effects on neurocognitive and neurobehavioral function.

Professional Statement

My passion and primary career goal are to apply my knowledge to the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of individuals with a brain disorder and injury while conducting research that will change lives for the better. I am passionate about neuropsychology and medical research because I understand the crucial role they play in building and creating new knowledge about therapeutic solutions. My research interests include integrating neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and genetic methodologies to study cognition and behavior in individuals with neurological conditions. More specifically, I'm interested in studying the interaction of genotype with neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity and its effects on neurocognitive and neurobehavioral function.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Steele, L., Klimas, N., Krengel, M., Quinn, E., Toomey, R., Little, D., Abreu, M., Aenlle, K., Killiany, R., Koo, B. B., Janulewicz, P., Heeren, T., Clark, A. N., Ajama, J., Cirillo, J., Buentello, G., Lerma, V.C., Coller, J. K., & Sullivan, K. "Brain-Immune Interactions as the Basis of Gulf War Illness: Clinical Assessment and Deployment Profile of 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans in the Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC) Multisite Case-Control Study." Brain Sci. 2021 Aug 26;11(9):1132. Pubmed PMID: 34573153
• Besnard, J., Allain, P., Lerma, V.C., Ghislaine, A., Chauviré, V., Etcharry-Bouyx, F., & Gall, D. L. "Frontal versus dysexecutive syndromes: Relevance of an interactionist approach in a case series of patients with prefrontal lobe damage.." Neuropsychological Rehabil. 2016 Jul 19;28(6):919-936. Pubmed PMID: 27436296
• Sacks-Zimmerman A.L., Lerma V.C. "Mnemonic Techniques." 2018 Sep 20;
• Deisseroth, C., Nayak, A., Bliss, N.D., Lerma, V.C., LeMaire, A.W., Narayanan, V., Balak, C., Zanni, G., Valente, E.M., Bertini, E., Benke, P.J., Wangler, M.F., Chao, H.T. "Integrated phenotypic and mutational approach defines EBF3-related HADD syndrome genotype-phenotype relationships.." MedRxiv. 2020 Dec 29;

Funding

Molecular and Neural Circuit Mechanisms in Autism and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

( 07/01/2021 )

Grant funding from Mark A. Wallace Endowment Award

Languages

Spanish