Dr. Kois (she/they) is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama, teaching undergraduate and graduate students and conducting psychology and law research. She is a core faculty member of the Clinical Psychology (Psychology-Law) PhD program. |
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I am also Education
I received my BA in Psychology from James Madison University and MA in Psychology from New York University before obtaining my PhD in Clinical Psychology (Forensic focus) from John Jay College at the City University of New York. I completed a Clinical Psychology Internship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, which included assessment and therapy rotations at Butner Federal Correctional Complex (forensic and corrections), Central Regional Hospital (forensic and neuropsychology), and UNC's Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery (bariatric).
Research
I have trained in research laboratories at James Madison University, the University of Virginia, John Jay College, Elmhurst Hospital/Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute. I now direct my own research program, the Collaborative Law and Social Sciences (CLASS) research laboratory, at the University of Alabama. I am Principal Investigator and Founding Co-Director of the Alabama Forensic Assessment Research and Evaluation (Alabama FARE) Project, which is funded by the Alabama Department of Mental Health (Co-PI: Cox). I co-founded and co-Direct UA's Southern Behavioral Health and Law Initiative with psychology-law faculty colleague Dr. Jenni Cox. I am also Principal Investigator of a financial empowerment intervention randomized controlled trial, specific for individuals with severe mental illness and criminal legal involvement, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (Co-PI: Elbogen, Co:I: Cox).
I am most interested in forensic assessment research; primarily, competence to stand trial (i.e., competence to proceed or fitness to proceed) and mental state at the time of the offense (criminal responsibility, insanity), as well as risk assessments for individuals found not restorable or not criminally responsible. My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; International Journal of Forensic Mental Health; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice; and Brain Injury. My work has been recognized by the American Psychological Association's Graduate Student Ethics Prize, an American Psychology-Law Society Dissertation Award, and Psi Chi's Mamie Phipps Clark Research Award. I am an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health and serve on the Editorial Boards of Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.
For the 2020-2021 academic year, I trained as a Health Disparities Research Education Program (HDREP) Scholar within UAB's Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR). The program is supported by the National Institute on Aging and includes rigorous research training, grant intensives, and courses on bioethics, biostatistics, epidemiology, health disparities, and minority aging.
Clinical Work
I have conducted clinical and forensic evaluation and intervention in a variety of settings, such as Brooklyn and Queens Mental Health Courts, Central Regional Hospital, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital's Addition Institute, Federal Medical Center and Federal Correctional Institution within Butner Federal Correctional Complex, and UNC School of Medicine. Given that a large portion of my clinical work has taken place in New York City and the Bureau of Prison's federal system, I have significant experience with culturally diverse populations.
I am licensed as a clinical psychologist in the state of Alabama, where I maintain a private practice conducting forensic evaluations (specifically competence to stand trial, mental state, violence risk, and sentencing).
You may download my CV here. Additional information at ResearchGate and LinkedIn.
Please reach me at lekois@ua.edu with any questions.
I received my BA in Psychology from James Madison University and MA in Psychology from New York University before obtaining my PhD in Clinical Psychology (Forensic focus) from John Jay College at the City University of New York. I completed a Clinical Psychology Internship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, which included assessment and therapy rotations at Butner Federal Correctional Complex (forensic and corrections), Central Regional Hospital (forensic and neuropsychology), and UNC's Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery (bariatric).
Research
I have trained in research laboratories at James Madison University, the University of Virginia, John Jay College, Elmhurst Hospital/Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute. I now direct my own research program, the Collaborative Law and Social Sciences (CLASS) research laboratory, at the University of Alabama. I am Principal Investigator and Founding Co-Director of the Alabama Forensic Assessment Research and Evaluation (Alabama FARE) Project, which is funded by the Alabama Department of Mental Health (Co-PI: Cox). I co-founded and co-Direct UA's Southern Behavioral Health and Law Initiative with psychology-law faculty colleague Dr. Jenni Cox. I am also Principal Investigator of a financial empowerment intervention randomized controlled trial, specific for individuals with severe mental illness and criminal legal involvement, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (Co-PI: Elbogen, Co:I: Cox).
I am most interested in forensic assessment research; primarily, competence to stand trial (i.e., competence to proceed or fitness to proceed) and mental state at the time of the offense (criminal responsibility, insanity), as well as risk assessments for individuals found not restorable or not criminally responsible. My research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; International Journal of Forensic Mental Health; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice; and Brain Injury. My work has been recognized by the American Psychological Association's Graduate Student Ethics Prize, an American Psychology-Law Society Dissertation Award, and Psi Chi's Mamie Phipps Clark Research Award. I am an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Forensic Mental Health and serve on the Editorial Boards of Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.
For the 2020-2021 academic year, I trained as a Health Disparities Research Education Program (HDREP) Scholar within UAB's Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR). The program is supported by the National Institute on Aging and includes rigorous research training, grant intensives, and courses on bioethics, biostatistics, epidemiology, health disparities, and minority aging.
Clinical Work
I have conducted clinical and forensic evaluation and intervention in a variety of settings, such as Brooklyn and Queens Mental Health Courts, Central Regional Hospital, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital's Addition Institute, Federal Medical Center and Federal Correctional Institution within Butner Federal Correctional Complex, and UNC School of Medicine. Given that a large portion of my clinical work has taken place in New York City and the Bureau of Prison's federal system, I have significant experience with culturally diverse populations.
I am licensed as a clinical psychologist in the state of Alabama, where I maintain a private practice conducting forensic evaluations (specifically competence to stand trial, mental state, violence risk, and sentencing).
You may download my CV here. Additional information at ResearchGate and LinkedIn.
Please reach me at lekois@ua.edu with any questions.
