Dr. Scot Kristian Hill, Professor in the Department of Psychology in the College of Health Professions received his PhD in School Psychology from Ball State University, specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Hill completed Postdoctoral Fellowships in clinical neuropsychology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Prior to joining RFUMS, Dr. Hill was a member of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Hill’s early research focused on learning disabilities and the impact of neurodevelopmental issues on cognitive abilities. More recently, his interests lie in neurocognitive deficits associated with psychosis; the neural and cognitive bases of working memory dysfunction in schizophrenia, particularly frontostriatal communications; electrophysiological and neuropsychological markers of psychosis; intermediate phenotypes shared among psychotic disorders; and neurotransmitter regulation in psychosis (genetic and systems level). Research methods include behavioral analysis, neuropsychological testing, electroencephalography (EEG), genotype analyses, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), multivariate analyses (pattern classification, subtype identification, structural equations modeling). Research reports have appeared in several areas including Neuropsychology, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Psychology journals.

Honors include NIMH National Research Service Award Fellowship, NIMH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, and NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program Award. Dr. Hill has been the principal investigator on several extramural and foundation grants and has served as co-investigator or consultant on several projects investigating disease and treatment related effects on neuroscognition in first episode and chronic schizophrenia, shared genetic liability underlying schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and cognitive and affective dysfunction in pediatric bipolar disorder.

Are You a Prospective Graduate Student? Dr. Hill will be reviewing applications for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Research

Dr. Hill is currently involved in researching neurocognition in psychosis. Specifically, Dr. Hill has ongoing involvement in the Bipolar and Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) research group. In addition, Dr. Hill has ongoing research with his lab at Ë®ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ Franklin University researching working memory deficits in schizophrenia across neuropsychological, genetic, and electroencephalographic methods. The lab's most recent publication involved integration of genetic and neuropsychological assessment data in understanding serial order processing deficits across varied conditions of stimulus recall in individual's with schizophrenia.

Research Lab

Research Topics

1. Neurocognition in psychosis
2. Cognitive treatment effects
3. Intermediate cognitive phenotypes
4. Development of digital neuropsychological measures

Dr. Hill is currently involved in researching neurocognition in psychosis. Specifically, Dr. Hill has ongoing involvement in the Bipolar and Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) research group. In addition, Dr. Hill has ongoing research with his lab at Ë®ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ Franklin University researching working memory deficits in schizophrenia across neuropsychological, genetic, and electroencephalographic methods. The lab's most recent publication involved integration of genetic and neuropsychological assessment data in understanding serial order processing deficits across varied conditions of stimulus recall in individual's with schizophrenia.

Graduate Students

	Cari Cohen, MS Cari Cohen is on internship at Rush University Medical Center. Her research interests include aging, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exercising, playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
	Erin Kaseda, MS Erin Kaseda is currently on internship at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colorado. Her research interests include the effects of cancer and its treatment on cognition, particularly in pediatric populations, as well as cognitive biomarkers of medical illness. This year, she is completing an advanced pediatric assessment practicum at NorthShore University Health System, as well as external research practica at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Lurie Children's Hospital. Erin also serves as the student representative to the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology's Board of Directors and as a student committee member of the Asian Neuropsychological Association and Division 40's Women in Neuropsychology committee. In her free time, Erin enjoys running half marathons and hiking with her West Highland White terrier, Hubble.
	Madison Dykins, MS Madison Dykins is a fifth-year clinical psychology doctoral candidate specializing in adult neuropsychology. Her research interests include cognition in psychotic spectrum disorders, cognitive and psychological heterogeneity, and neurocognitive sequelae following electrical injury. Madison enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, spending time with her pup, and attending concerts.
	Mira Leese, MS Mira Leese is a fourth-year student in the Ph.D. program, completing a specialization in neuropsychology. Her research interests include the psychometric development of web-based performance validity tests (PVTs) as well as exploring digital biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. This year, she is completing an advanced adult neuropsychology externship at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine. She has previously completed practicums at NorthShore University Health System and the Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center.
	Elmma Khalid, MS Elmma Khalid is a second-year clinical psychology doctoral student. Her research interests include cognition in psychosis and impact of childhood trauma on cognitive functioning.
	Jacqueline Reis, BS Jacqueline is a second-year master's student in the Clinical Counseling program. Her research interests include the neuropsychological functioning of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and cognition and personality in psychotic spectrum disorders. In her free time, Jacqueline enjoys traveling, learning new languages, and spending time with her family and friends.

Alumni

Hayley Amsbaugh, PhD Jenna Axelrod, PhD Alison Buchholz, PhD Tarra Carrathers, PhD Courtney Eskridge, PhD William Hochberger, PhD Emily Kalscheur, PhD Zachary Resch, PhD Jarret Roseberry, PhD Nicholas Velissaris, PhD Maura Wolfe, PhD Tasha Rhoades, PhD Milena Gotra, PhD Lindsey Holbrook, PhD Alec Neale, PhD Cari Cohen, MS

Select Publications in Past 5 Years

Eum, S., Hill, S. K., & Bishop, J. R. (2022). Considering medication exposure in genomic association studies of cognition in psychotic disorders. Pharmacogenomics, 23(14), 791–806. https://doi.org/10.2217/pgs-2022-0070

Gotra, M. Y., Keedy, S. K., & Hill, S. K. (2022). Interactive effects of maintenance decay and interference on working memory updating in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia research, 239, 103–110.

Gershon, E. S., Lee, S. H., Zhou, X., Sweeney, J. A., Tamminga, C., Pearlson, G. A., ... & Hill, S.K. (2021). An opportunity for primary prevention research in psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia Research.

Parker, D. A., Trotti, R. L., McDowell, J. E., Keedy, S. K., Hill, S.K., Gershon, E. S., ... & Clementz, B. A. (2021). Auditory oddball responses across the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum and their relationship to cognitive and clinical features. American Journal of Psychiatry, appi-ajp.

Eskridge, C. L., Hochberger, W. C., Kaseda, E. T., Lencer, R., Reilly, J. L., Keedy, S. K., ... & Hill, S.K. (2021). Deficits in generalized cognitive ability, visual sensorimotor function, and inhibitory control represent discrete domains of neurobehavioral deficit in psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia research, 236, 54-60.

Hill, S.K., Keefe, R., Sweeney, J., Hill, S., Keefe, R., & Sweeney, J. (2020). Cognitive biomarkers of psychosis. In Psychotic Disorders: Comprehensive Conceptualization and Treatments. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Hochberger, W. C., Eskridge, C., Bishop, J. R., Reilly, J. L., Rubin, L. H., Keedy, S., Gershon, E. S., Tamminga, C. A., Pearlson, G. D., Ragozzino, M., Keshavan, M. S., Sweeney, J. A., & Hill, S.K. (2020). Catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype differentially contributes to the flexibility and stability of cognitive sets in patients with psychotic disorders and their first-degree relatives. Schizophrenia research, S0920-9964(20)30433-3. Advance online publication.

Gotra, M. Y., Hill, S.K., Gershon, E. S., Tamminga, C. A., Ivleva, E. I., Pearlson, G. D., Keshavan, M. S., Clementz, B. A., McDowell, J. E., Buckley, P. F., Sweeney, J. A., & Keedy, S. K. (2020). Distinguishing patterns of impairment on inhibitory control and general cognitive ability among bipolar with and without psychosis, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Schizophrenia research, S0920-9964(20)30385-6. Advance online publication.

Hochberger WC, Combs T, Reilly JL, Keefe RSE, Keshavan MS, Pearlson GD, Tamminga CA, Clementz BA, Sweeney JA, Hill S.K. (2018). Decline from expected cognitive ability is modestly familial across psychotic disorders. Schizophrenia Research, 192, 300-307.

Nelson, C., Hill, S.K. (2018) et al. “Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Antipsychotic Medication on Cognitive Flexibility Are Related to COMT Genotype in First Episode Psychosis.” Schizophrenia Research.

Hochberger, W. C., Hill S.K., et al (2018). “P3 Amplitude Attenuation Secondary to Increases in Target-to-Target Interval (TTI) during Spatial Serial Order Recall: Implications for EEG Models of Working Memory Function.” International Journal of Neuroscience, pp. 1–22.

Combs, T. Hill S.K., et al. (2018) “Deficient Single Item Maintenance Following Intact Updating in Schizophrenia.” Schizophrenia Research, vol. 195, pp. 353–356.

Dykins, M. M., Keedy, S. K., Sweeney, J. A., & Hill, S. K. (2024). Characterizing cognitive heterogeneity in first-episode psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 267, 16-18.

Leese, M. I., Finley, J. C. A., Roseberry, J. E., & Hill., S. K. (2024). The Making Change Test: Initial Validation of a Novel Digitized Performance Validity Test for Tele-Neuropsychology. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 1-14. doi: 

Leese, M. I., Roseberry, J. E., Soble, J. R., & Hill., S. K. (2024). The Memory Integrated Language Test (MIL Test): Initial Validation of a Novel Web-Based Performance Validity Test. Psychological Injury and Law, 17, 34-44, doi: