Laura Stoppelbein, PhD
Clinic Director
Professor, Department of Psychology
lastoppelbein@ua.edu
(205) 348-3130
lastoppelbein.people.ua.edu
Dr. Stoppelbein received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Alabama where she graduated magna cum laude with a sub-specialization within the area of child/adolescent and pediatric psychology. She went on to complete her internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, MS. From 2003 to 2010, Dr. Stoppelbein worked at UMMC as an Associate Professor where she maintained an active research line within the area of developmental psychopathology and was responsible for the clinical and research supervision of medical and psychology residents and post-doctoral fellows. During this time, Dr. Stoppelbein also served as the Clinical Director of the Batson Psychiatric Unit for Children where she was responsible for coordinating clinical care for the children admitted to the unit.
In 2011, Dr. Stoppelbein began working at Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). In 2013, she accepted the position as Director of Outpatient Services and in 2015 she accepted the position as Vice President of Clinical Services at Glenwood while also retaining her position at UAB. In her role as Vice President at Glenwood, she has supervised a staff of psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed therapists and students in the Medical/Clinical Psychology program at UAB as well as also providing direct clinical service.
She was pleased to begin her tenure at the UA-ASD Clinic in the Department of Psychology as the Clinic Director in 2019. Dr. Stoppelbein is excited for this opportunity as it will allow her to continue work in the area of child psychopathology and allow her to maintain her career-long commitment to the merging of academic training and research with applied clinical work. She plans to continues to conduct applied clinical research within the area of child and adolescent adjustment and has over 5 dozen peer-reviewed publications on topics such as trauma responses in children and families, aggression, impulsivity, and is completing a number of projects on understanding comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems found among children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Debbie Kofman
Clinic Coordinator
ddkofman@ua.edu
(205) 348-3130
Ms. Kofman received her Bachelors of Science degree in environmental science from the University of West Alabama (formerly Livingston University). She has worked as an office manager and accounting assistant in various offices since 1992 including the University of Alabama Moundville Archaeological Park, the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business and for PanAmerican.
Currently, she is the UA-ASD Clinic’s Coordinator and has been since 2016. In her role as Coordinator, Ms. Kofman provides support to clinicians, students and clients.
Elizabeth McRae, Phd
Post-Doctoral Trainee
Elizabeth completed her graduate training and internship at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and received her Ph.D. in Clinical/Medical Psychology in 2022. She has been hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at UA and is completing her post-doctoral clinical fellowship with the UA-ASD clinic. Elizabeth received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the College of Charleston and went on to receive her Masters degree in Clinical/Medical Psychology at UAB. She has worked with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum for the past 10 years and over that time has gained expertise in the area assessment, treatment, and supports for children with autism and their families. She is an accomplished researcher with numerous conference presentations and peer-reviewed articles. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her dog Penny, playing her guitar, and spending time with friends and family.
Rebekah Whitt, MA, CCC-SLP
Licensed Speech and Language Pathologist
Rebekah is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Supervisor at the UA-ASD Clinic. In this role, she provides speech-language therapy to children with autism and clinical education to graduate students in the Department of Communicative Disorders. Rebekah received her Master of Science Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Alabama in May 2020. She also graduated summa cum laude from UA with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communicative Disorders in December 2017. Prior to graduating from UA with her Master’s degree, Rebekah completed an internship at the UA-ASD Clinic. After graduating with her Master’s degree, she completed her Clinical Fellowship in Speech-Language Pathology at Child’s Play Therapy Center in Hoover, AL where she provided clinical services to a variety of pediatric populations. Rebekah returned to the UA-ASD clinic in the Fall 2021. Rebekah’s special interests include Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Pragmatic Disorders, Expressive Language Delays, and Fluency Disorders.
In her free time, Rebekah enjoys spending time with her family and friends, kickboxing, cheering on the Crimson Tide, and spoiling her Goldendoodle.