Marsha Nortz Gragert, PhD, ABPP
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics
About Dr. Marsha Nortz Gragert
Marsha Nortz Gragert, PhD is a Professor in the Section of Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology at Washington University in St. Louis and a subsequent two-year fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). She was next appointed as an Assistant Professor at CCHMC, assuming the role of Director of the Postdoctoral Program in Pediatric Neuropsychology and, eventually, Director of Clinical Neuropsychology. In 2011, she was appointed as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Psychology at Baylor College of Medicine, where she again assumed the role of Director of the Postdoctoral Program in Pediatric Neuropsychology. She is board certified in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Her clinical and research interests include factors impacting neuropsychological and broader quality of life outcomes in children with a history of pediatric cancer or other chronic health conditions, and she has a particular interest in improving access to hospital-based, school coordination services and advocacy support for these children and their caregivers.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Professor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2000 | Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA, PHD, Clinical Psychology, Neuropsychology Specialization |
| 1996 | Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA, MA, Clinical Psychology, Neuropsychology Specialization |
| 1994 | University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA, BS, Neuroscience, Summa Cum Laude |
| 1994 | University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA, BA, Psychology, Summa Cum Laude |
Postgraduate Training
| 2000-2002 | Clinical Fellowship, Pediatric Neuropsychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH |
| 1999-2000 | Clinical Internship (Pre-Doctoral), Clinical Psychology (Specialization in Pediatric Neuropsychology), University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK |
Board Certifications
| 2008 | American Board of Professional Psychology/Clinical Neuropsychology |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Psychology, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, 2011 - 2021
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2010 - 2011
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2002 - 2010
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 2011 - 2021
Clinical Director, Neuropsychology Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2009 - 2011
Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2009 - 2010
Co-Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2002 - 2008
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Institutional Review Board (IRB#4, MD Anderson), 2021 - Present
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Shapiro D, Anderson C, Gragert M, Johnson A, Heffelfinger A. Fellow and training director perspectives on personal leaves during fellowship training in neuropsychology and considerations for best practice. The Clinical Neuropsychologist 37(4):821-840, 2023. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36369839.
- McCurdy MD, Raghubar KP, Christopher K, Okcu MF, Wilde E, Desai N, Chu ZD, Gragert M, Stancel H, Warren EH, Whitehead WE, Grosshans D, Paulino AC, Chintagumpala M, Kahalley LS. Predicting neurocognitive function in pediatric brain tumor early survivorship: The neurological predictor scale and the incremental validity of tumor size. Pediatr Blood Cancer 69(9):e29803, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35709014.
- Heitzer AM, Kahalley LS, Minard CG, Stafford C, Grosshans DR, Okcu MF, Raghubar KP, Gragert M, McCurdy M, Warren EH, Gomez J, Ris MD, Paulino AC, Chintagumpala M. Treatment age and neurocognitive outcomes following proton beam radiotherapy for pediatric low- and intermediate-grade gliomas. Pediatr Blood Cancer:e29096. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34019329.
- Heitzer AM, Ris D, Raghubar K, Kahalley LS, Hilliard ME, Gragert M. Facilitating transitions to adulthood in pediatric brain tumor patients: the role of neuropsychology. Curr Oncol Rep 22(10):102, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32719944.
- Fein RH, Banks GG, Gragert MN, Axelrad ME. Brief behavioral intervention for disruptive behavior in a child with a hypothalamic hamartoma: a case report. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 26(4):507-515, 2019. PMID: 30470962.
- Heitzer AM, Raghubar K, Ris MD, Minard CG, Gragert MN, Stancel HH, Orobio J, Xue J, Whitehead W, Okcu MF, Chintagumpala M, Kahalley LS. Neuropsychological functioning following surgery for pediatric low-grade glioma: a prospective longitudinal study. J Neurosurg Pediatr 6:1-9, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31812134.
- Baum KT, Powell SK, Jacobson LA, Gragert MN, Janzen LA, Paltin I, Rey-Casserly CM, Wilkening GN. Implementing guidelines: Proposed definitions of neuropsychology services in pediatric oncology. Pediatr Blood Cancer 64(8), 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28121073.
- Kahalley LS, Winter-Greenberg A, Stancel H, Ris MD, Gragert M. Utility of the General Ability Index (GAI) and Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) with survivors of pediatric brain tumors: Comparison to Full Scale IQ and premorbid IQ estimates. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 38(10):1065-76, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27295192.
- Gragert MN, Ris MD. Neuropsychological late effects and rehabilitation following pediatric brain tumor. J Pediatr Rehabil Med 4(1):47-58, 2011. PMID: 21757810.
- White DA, Nortz MJ, Mandernach T, Huntington K, Steiner RD. Age-related working memory impairments in children with prefrontal dysfunction associated with phenylketonuria. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 8(1):1-11, 2002. PMID: 11843066.
- White DA, Nortz MJ, Mandernach T, Huntington K, Steiner RD. Deficits in memory strategy use related to prefrontal dysfunction during early development: evidence from children with phenylketonuria. Neuropsychology 15(2):221-9, 2001. PMID: 11324865.
- Banich MT, Passarotti AM, White DA, Nortz MJ, Steiner RD. Interhemispheric interaction during childhood: II. Children with early-treated phenylketonuria. Dev Neuropsychol 18(1):53-71, 2000. PMID: 11143804.
- Lajonchere C, Nortz M, Finger S. Gilles de la Tourette and the discovery of Tourette syndrome. Includes a translation of his 1884 article. Arch Neurol 53(6):567-74, 1996. PMID: 8660160.
Abstracts
- Swartz, MC, Waterman, G, Carroll, B, Holland, AA, Gragert, MN, Yang, G, Bai, J, Stavinoha, PL. Agreement of self-reported and proxy-reported sleep, fatigue, and physical activity among pediatric cancer patients. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2023.
- Stavinoha P, Waterman G, Carroll B, Holland AA, Gragert MN Yang G, Bai J, Swartz MC. Self-reported sleep difficulties and association with cognitive function in pediatric cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology 41(16_suppl):10065, 2023.
- Olsthoorn, I, Gragert, MN, Yang, G, & Stavinoha, PL. The relationship between sleep disturbance and attention in children and adolescents with neurofibromatosis, type 1 (NF1). The Clinical Neuropsychologist 36(4):731-778, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Heitzer A, Kahalley L, Grosshans D, Okcu MF, Raghubar K, Gragert M, McCurdy M, Warren E, Ris MD, Paulino A, Chintagumpala M. Treatment age and neurocognitive outcomes following proton beam radiotherapy for pediatric low grade glioma. Neuro-Oncology 22(Suppl 3):iii457–iii458, 2020.
- Heitzer, AM, Raghubar, KP, Ris, DM, Whitehead, W, Minard, CG, Chintagumpala, M, Okcu, MF, Gragert, M, Stancel, HH, Orobio, J, Xue, J, & Kahalley, LS. Neuropsychological risk following surgery for pediatric low-grade glioma: a prospective, longitudinal study, 2019.
- Thomason MM, Muths LH, Kahalley LS, Ris MD, Gragert MN. Circumscribed verbal memory impairment following proton beam radiation for hypothalamic tumor in an adolescent female. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2018.
Book Chapters
- Paltin I, Burgers DE, Gragert M, Noggle C. Cancer. In: Neuropsychological Conditions Across the Lifespan. Cambridge University Press: New York, 162-185, 2018.
- Gragert MN, Antonini TA, Kahalley LS. Neuropsychological Late Effects of Radiotherapy for Pediatric Brain Tumors. In: Radiation Oncology for Pediatric CNS Tumors. Springer, Cham, 507-535, 2018.
- Gragert MN, Kahalley LS. Executive functions in pediatric cancer. In: Executive Function and Dysfunction: Identification, Assessment and Treatment. Cambridge University Press, 158-167, 2012.
- Nortz M, Ris MD. A case of childhood lead poisoning. In: Casebook of Clinical Neuropsychology. Taylor & Francis/Psychology Press, 355-363, 2010.
- Ris MD, Nortz M. Nonverbal learning disorders. In: Textbook of Clinical Neuropsychology. Taylor & Francis: New York, 346-359, 2008.
- Nortz MJ, Hemme-Phillips JM, Ris MD. Neuropsychological sequelae in children treated for cancer. In: Pediatric Neuropsychological Intervention: A Critical Review of Science & Practice. Cambridge University Press: New York, 112-132, 2007.
- Ammerman RT, Nortz MJ, Ris MD, Walz NC, Oppenheimer SG. Psychological functioning in children and adolescents with spina bifida. In: Neural Tube Defects. Marcel Dekker: New York, 61-78, 2007.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | School Reintegration Program for Children with Pediatric Cancers |
| Funding Source: | The Jeff Gordon Foundation |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | School Reintegration Program for Children with Brain Tumors |
| Funding Source: | Jack J. Smith Jr. Charitable Trust |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Neurobehavioral late effects in pediatric brain tumors |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Subcontract Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Adult Neurobehavioral Late Effects of Pediatric Low Grade Brain Tumors |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Site Neuropsychologist |
| Title: | Silent Cerebral Infarct Transfusion Multi-Center Clinical Trial (SIT) |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NINDS |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Neuropsychological Dysfunction and Neuroimaging Abnormalities in Neurologically Intact Adults with Sickle Cell Disease study (SCAN) |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NHLBI |
| Role: | Site Neuropsychologist |