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Alexander Tan

Alexander Tan

•Adjunct Assistant Professor Step III, UCI Department of Pediatrics
•Pediatric Neuropsychologist Level 2, Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology, Rady Children's Health Orange County

Biography

Alexander Tan, Ph.D., ABPP-CN, is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine, and Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Rady Children's Health Orange County, where he serves as Director of the Heart Institute Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program and Lead of the Pediatric Neuropsychology Training Program. Board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology and a subspecialist in Pediatric Neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology, Tan focuses his clinical and research work on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with congenital heart disease and other pediatric medical conditions. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where his dissertation examined neurocognitive and psychosocial profiles of pediatric multiple sclerosis and transverse myelitis.

Dr. Tan serves as President of the Asian Neuropsychological Association and is a Steering Committee Member of the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative, where he is Founding Co-Chair of the Health Equity Committee. He is a member of the Clinical Neuropsychology Synarchy Council and serves as a Practice Sample Reviewer for the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. His research has been published in journals including Pediatrics, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, and The Clinical Neuropsychologist, with several articles selected for continuing education offerings by professional organizations. He received the American Psychological Association Early Career Psychologist Achievement Award in 2023 and the American Board of Professional Psychology Early Career Psychologist Diversity Award in 2024.

Dr. Tan has been active in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in neuropsychology through his roles as a founding delegate of the Cultural Neuropsychology Council and member of the Board of Advisors for New2Neuropsychology. He has served on the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology Education Advisory Committee and as a National Academy of Neuropsychology Leadership Ambassador. His work includes developing culturally informed assessment practices for diverse pediatric populations and establishing surveillance programs to improve neurodevelopmental care access for children with congenital heart disease.

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Education

  • Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2018
  • B.A. in Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin, 2011
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Distinctions

  • APA Early Career Psychologist Achievement Award, American Psychological Association, 2023
  • Board Certification in Clinical Neuropsychology, American Board of Professional Psychology/Clinical Neuropsychology, 2023
  • Subspecialty Board Certification in Pediatric Neuropsychology, American Board of Professional Psychology/Clinical Neuropsychology, 2025
  • NAN Tony Wong Early Career Diversity Award, National Academy of Neuropsychology, 2021
  • ABPP Early Career Psychologist Diversity Award, American Board of Professional Psychology, 2024
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Areas of Expertise

  • Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology
  • Congenital Heart Disease Outcomes
  • Demyelinating Disease Cognition
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Care
  • Cross-Cultural Assessment Methods
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening

Recent Publications

  • Bracho, F., Zhou, E., Kong, D., Olson, M., Flores, A., Patel, P., Tan, A., “Adaptive functioning during middle childhood in children with congenital heart disease referred for cardiac neurodevelopmental evaluation”, Journal of Pediatric Neuropsychology, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 49-56, 2025.
  • Nayar, K., Lunia, P., Miao, I., Choi, E., Lalchandani, R., Hong, Y. D., Tan, A., “Surveying barriers to training: A call for change for international neuropsychology trainees in the U.S.”, Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2025.
  • Hennrick, H., Miller, E., Lai, W. W., Nelkin, V. C., Flores, A., Olson, M., Kong, D., Tan, A., “Effects of implementing a standardized surveillance program on cardiac neurodevelopmental program referral completion”, Pediatric Cardiology, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 821-828, 2024.
  • Ng, R., Chin, E., Hong, Y., Zhou, X., Tan, A., “Performing pediatric neuropsychological evaluation with Chinese patients: A review of the literature and recommendations for practice”, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 930-958, 2023.
  • Nguyen, M. C., Tan, A., Nguyen, A., Lee, G. J., Qi, G., Thaler, N., Fujii, D., “Cross-cultural implications for teleneuropsychology with Asian clients”, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 896-910, 2023.
  • Tan, A., Semmel, E. S., Rodrigues, N., Bishop, M., Ilardi, D., “Adaptive functioning in adolescents with congenital heart disease referred for neurodevelopmental follow-up”, Journal of Pediatric Neuropsychology, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 1-11, 2022.
  • Wilmoth, K., Tan, A., Tarkenton, T., Rossetti, H. C., Hynan, L. S., Didehbani, N., Miller, S. M., Cullum, C. M., “Early psychological symptoms predict concussion recovery time in middle and high school athletes”, Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 251-257, 2022.
  • Tan, A., Marcus, D. J., Howarth, R. A., Gombolay, G., “Neuropsychological phenotypes of pediatric anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein associated disorders: A case series”, Neuropediatrics, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 212-218, 2021.
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Contact Information

Email: alexat16@uci.edu

Phone: (714) 509-7379

Address: 1120 W. La Veta Ave Suite 470, Orange CA, 92868, Irvine, CA 92868

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This profile was created with the help of AI.

Last updated on 5/19/2026.