Ursula Kirk, PhD

Ursula Kirk, PhD is a pioneer in the field of pediatric neuropsychology and its application to neurodevelopmental problems. Dr. Kirk’s research interests include the role of executive functions in emerging cognitive competencies and the developmental processes that underlie typical and atypical language, graphomotor, visuospatial, learning, and memory skills.

A previous teacher and school administrator, after obtaining her doctorate, Dr. Kirk was inspired by post-doctoral studies in pediatric neuropsychology in Boston, working with Edith Kaplan, Harold Goodglass, Martha Denckla, Jane Holmes Bernstein, and Norman Geschwind among others. She developed the Program in Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College, Columbia that she headed for 15 years until her retirement.