William J. Ernst, Psy.D.
Email Me: ernstw@wpunj.edu
Dr. Ernst is the Founding Executive Director of the Center for Concussion Education and Research of Chestnut Hill College. Currently, he is also an associate professor of pscyhology and program director of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at William Paterson University. Dr. Ernst is a clinical neuropsychologist who led a team that was awarded funding from the NCAA-DoD Mind Matters Educational Programs Challenge to develop a novel peer concussion education program (PCEP). In addition, he was the co-principal investigator of a multi-site randomized controlled trial of the PCEP. Dr. Ernst’s research focuses on the development and evaluation of educational interventions designed to increase concussion knowledge and symptom reporting in athletes. His research interests also include sports-related concussion, neuropsychological consultation with school personnel and performance validity testing during neuropsychological assessment. Dr. Ernst completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Cooper Hospital. He maintains an independent practice in clinical neuropsychology focusing on neuropsychological assessment of children and adults with various neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions including ADHD, learning disabilities and traumatic brain injury.
Meredith E. Kneavel, Ph.D.
Email Me: kneavel@lasalle.edu
Dr. Kneavel is a biopsychologist whose scholarly interests began with the investigation of the physiological effects of stress on the structure and function of the brain and behavioral correlates of learning and memory. Many of these were investigated through transgenic and knockout gene technology with an emphasis on sex differences. Her stress research expanded to include long-term effects of stress on behavior and health. More recently, her research has focused on understanding concussions and reporting behavior through the development of a peer concussion education program. Dr. Kneavel’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at regional and national conferences. She currently serves as the Associate Dean in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences and is a Professor in the Department of Urban Public Health and Nutrition at La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. She also serves as the Director of Assessment and Research for the Center for Concussion Education and Research at Chestnut Hill College in a consultatory role.
Lynn Ortale, Ph.D.
Dr. Ortale is the President of Maria College in Albany, New York, and was formerly the Vice President for Student Life and the Founding Director of Strategic Planning and Marketing for the Center for Concussion Education and Research at Chestnut Hill College. Dr. Ortale’s commitment to student engagement combined with her experience at NCAA Division I, II and III institutions helped to support the development of the peer concussion education program. A strength of the peer education program is the interdisciplinary approach which combines research and theory with best practices and assessment. Dr. Ortale holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focused on entrepreneurial faculty. Dr. Ortale worked with a dynamic group of Student Life and Athletics professionals to nurture student success by providing resources and transformative experiences outside the classroom to promote students’ personal growth and academic success.
