The speakers for LEAP 2026 are listed below. Please check back for LEAP 2027 speakers.
Anne Kazak, PhD, ABPP
Catherine Butz, PhD
Melissa Cousino, PhD
Lori Crosby, PsyD
William Kronenberger, PhD
Monica Mitchell, PhD
Jason Williams, PsyD, MSEd
Jennifer Wisdom, PhD, MPH, ABPP
Dr. Anne Kazak
Anne E. Kazak, PhD, ABPP is the Enterprise Director of the Center for Healthcare Delivery Science based at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, DE (USA). She is also the Co-Director of the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress, part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Dr. Kazak is a multiple Principal Investigator for the REACH (Research Expanding Access to Child Health) Center for Biomedical Research Excellence. She is a licensed Psychologist and a Diplomat of the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA and also Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania (emerita). She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Delaware in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and in the College of Health Professions. She is also an accomplished journal editor, having served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, the Journal of Family Psychology, Health Psychology and American Psychologist. Dr. Kazak is the current Chief Editorial Advisor at the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Catherine Butz
Catherine Butz, PhD, is the Senior Associate Chief of Psychology at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Butz provides leadership oversight focused on program enhancement and budgeting for several areas including Pediatric Psychology, Psychiatric Acute Care, Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service, the Eating Disorder program, and the Adolescent Development Collaborative. Dr. Butz consults nationally with multiple organizations to expand psychology services in acute psychiatric care areas. She served on the Finance Advisory Committee for Special Interest Groups of the Society of Pediatric Psychology and contributed to AndHealth corporation as a Product Development Consultant. Dr. Butz provides clinical services through the Neurology, Sports Medicine, and Adult Congenital Cardiology sections.
Dr. Melissa Cousino
Dr. Melissa K. Cousino is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Pediatrics and Cardiac Surgery at the University of Michigan. She serves as Director of M-COPE, the Psychosocial Services and Research Program for the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Congenital Heart Center, leading efforts to expand mental health care access, advance psychosocial research, and train future clinicians. Dr. Cousino is also the PI and study chair for the NIH-funded WE BEAT trial within the Pediatric Heart Network, leading a multisite, randomized clinical trial of her resilience-focused, telemedicine intervention for youth with congenital heart disease. Her research program, supported by the National Institutes of Health, centers on healthcare communication, decision making, and mental health in pediatric advanced heart disease and solid organ transplantation. She serves on scientific committees for a number of national and international cardiac organizations such as the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and ACTION, and she is honored to serve as the 2027 Scientific Program Chair for the ISHLT Annual Meeting in Sydney, Australia – the first even non-MD for this large international meeting. Outside work, she enjoys Michigan's lakes, sports with her family, sand volleyball, and early morning walks with a good podcast.
Dr. Lori Crosby
Lori E. Crosby, PsyD, is a Tenured Professor in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. Additionally, she serves as the Director of the Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTST) Community Stakeholder Engagement Core, and Co-Director of INNOVATIONS in Community Research and Program Evaluation. Dr. Crosby is an Elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). She leads a groundbreaking research program in pediatric sickle cell disease. Her ped psych experience includes self-management, treatment adherence, the transition to adult care, and the recruitment and retention of socially and economically disadvantaged populations in research.
Dr. William Kronenberger
William G. Kronenberger, PhD, is the Arthur B. Richter Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM). Dr. Kronenberger received his B.S. from Xavier University. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (specializing in Pediatric Psychology) from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow and Norman Guttman Named Instructor. He served as Chief Psychology Intern at Indiana University School of Medicine. His current leadership roles include Director of the IUSM Division of Psychology, Chair of Indiana University Institutional Review Board (IRB) – 01, and Director of the Riley Pediatric Psychology Testing Clinic. His past leadership roles include Interim Co-Chair of the IUSM Department of Psychiatry, Executive Vice Chair of the IUSM Department of Psychiatry, Vice President of the IUSM Psychiatry Practice Plan, Co-Chief of the Riley ADHD-DBD Specialty Clinic, and Clinical Director of the Riley Hospital Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service. Dr. Kronenberger’s clinical and research work focuses on executive functioning, language, and learning delays in children in adolescents.
Dr. Monica Mitchell
Dr. Monica Mitchell is a Professor of Pediatrics within the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology and the Assistant Vice President of Community Relations at Cincinnati Children’s. Dr. Mitchell is nationally known for her pediatric and community-based research. Dr. Mitchell also serves as the Co-Director of INNOVATIONS in Community Research and Evaluation. Across her roles, Dr. Mitchell collaborates with non-profit agencies, schools and businesses to advance pediatric and behavioral health. Dr. Mitchell also leads efforts to advance community engagement, community outreach, community giving and employee volunteerism across the institution. Dr. Mitchell oversees the institution’s community investment, community health needs assessment and community benefit programs. Dr. Mitchell works closely with Cincinnati Children’s Mental and Behavioral Health Institute (MBHI) to support child and youth access to mental health services.
Dr. Jason Williams
Jason Williams, PsyD, MSEd, serves as senior vice president and chief mental and behavioral health officer at Arkansas Children’s and division chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He also holds the Belinda H. and Robert L. Shults Endowed Chair in Child Behavioral Health. Dr. Williams has extensive knowledge in the fields of Psychiatry and Psychology and is known for his leadership at the local, regional, and national level. As the Chief Mental and Behavioral Health Officer, he is responsible for further developing the Arkansas Children’s mental and behavioral health service line structure to meet the needs of children with mental, behavioral, and developmental challenges across the system. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and cycling with his two grown children and his wife Laura.
Dr. Jennifer Wisdom
Dr. Wisdom is a distinguished clinical and organizational psychologist, consultant, executive coach, author, professor, TEDx speaker, and past president of the Society of Psychologists in Leadership. With 25 years of diverse experience across the U.S. military, non-profit service programs, and higher education research and administration, she provides consultation to organizations through periods of challenge and change, utilizing evidence-based psychological and management strategies to address issues such as stress, burnout, and transition. As an accomplished author, Dr. Wisdom has published 14 books in the Millennials’ Guides series (millennialsguides.com; hybrid publisher), authored more than 100 scientific articles, and written more than 30 book chapters, establishing her as a leading voice in her field.
