Dr. Rayna Hirst is a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in brain-behavior relationships. She provides neuropsychological evaluations to adults (age 18+) with a range of medical conditions impacting cognition, including chronic neurological conditions (e.g., epilepsy), traumatic brain injury (TBI), neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., dementia), medical issues, psychiatric disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, learning disorders).

Clinically, she views neuropsychological assessment as a collaborative, clarifying process. It is not just a battery of tests, but a way of helping people understand what is actually going on cognitively, and why. Her goal in every evaluation is diagnostic clarity: distinguishing between overlapping possibilities, like early neurodegenerative change versus mood-related cognitive symptoms, or a learning difference versus attention difficulties. Thorough feedback and recommendations are provided so that patients can move forward with confidence rather than more uncertainty.

Dr. Hirst completed her undergraduate education at Penn State University, where she worked in the Neuropsychology Lab on the Penn State Concussion Study. She completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, with a focus on Neuropsychology and Addictions. Her predoctoral internship in health psychology and neuropsychology was completed at the VA Ann Arbor / University of Michigan Healthcare System, and her postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at Dartmouth Medical School in the Brain Imaging Lab. In addition to her clinical practice, she is a Professor of Neuropsychology at Palo Alto University and leads a research lab studying neuropsychological assessment and doctoral training.

Dr. Hirst is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN; APA Division 40). She currently serves as Treasurer of SCN and as a member of its Education Committee.