Sandra M. Mitchell, PhD

Dr. Mitchell is passionate about the field of neuropsychology. As a psychology undergraduate student at California State University, she joined a cognitive aging laboratory and became fascinated with the human brain and the biological underpinnings of thinking and memory. She completed a master’s in clinical psychology at the University of Colorado, where she worked in a neuropsychology lab studying the cognitive effects of white matter disease in multiple sclerosis and decided to pursue her doctoral degree. She earned her Ph.D. from the prestigious neuropsychology training program at the University of Florida, completed a neuropsychology internship at the Connecticut VA, and a two-year neuropsychology post-doctoral fellowship at the New Mexico VA Medical Center in Albuquerque. Her extensive training meets the rigorous Houston Conference guidelines outlined by the American Psychological Association for training neuropsychologists. Although Dr. Mitchell’s first love was brain research, her heart was drawn to working directly with patients facing neurological injury and disease. Her clinical interests include cognitive aging, dementia, stroke, traumatic brain injury and the neurocognitive profiles associated with various neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. She uses a therapeutic approach to assessment and feedback that emphasizes education and support to patients and families facing neurological illness in addition to explaining test results and diagnosis. It is her goal to promote a high-standard of comprehensive neuropsychological services provided to all Alaskans. Like many people who choose to move to Alaska, Dr. Mitchell enjoys outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, and off-roading. She also enjoys traveling, theater, movies, music, cooking and spending time with friends and family.