Laura Dreer is originally from Birmingham, Michigan. She received her B.S. degree frem Central Michigan University (1995) majoring in psychology and triple minoring in gerontology, family studies, and child development. She continued her training by completing an M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology from the university of Hartford in Connecticut (1997) and then returned to Central Michigan University to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (1997-2002). She specialized in two complementary areas, rehabilitation and neuropsychology. As part of her doctoral requirements, she completed several practica at major academic medical centers (i.e. Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan) and a clinical medical psychology internship at Duke University Medical Center (concentrating in neuropsychology). After obtaining her Ph.D., Laura completed a one-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology at Duke University Medical Center (2002-2003) followed by an NIH Fellowship in Medical Rehabilitation Psychology (T32-HD07420) through the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2006).

Laura's areas of clinical-research concentration are two fold: examining the role of problem solving strategies and psychoeducational interventions in the adjustment process to serious chronic medical conditions and evaluating impairment and recovery of competency (i.e., medical decision making, finances) in chronic health conditions. Her previous clinical-research has included spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, stroke, congestive hear failure, and Alzheimer's disease, and she is now extending her expertise in rehabilitation and neuropsychology to the field of low vision rehabilitation. Low vision rehabilitation as a field has not typically focused on the integration of psychological services into comprehensive rehabilitation care models for persons with irreversible vision impairment. Thus, Laura's focus in this area will be a welcome addition to the field. Laura also continues to collaborate with other neuropsychologists and psychologists to exam important aspects of competency related issues in medical populations.

Dr. Dreer is an expert in problem-solving training (PST) which is an empirically-based training program used to enhance well-being and improve outcomes for various problems in everyday living. Applications of this training program have been successfully delivered by health professionals, researchers, and business professionals. Dr. Dreer is available on a consultation basis to train individuals or organizations interested in learning how to skillfully deliver PST. To schedule a training date or for further inquiries, please contact Dr. Dreer at dreer@uab.edu or (205) 325-8681.

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Projects in which Laura Dreer is the Principal Investigator:

1 K23 EY017327-01 National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Eye Institute (NEI) Problem-Solving Training and Low Vision Rehabilitation

No Number EyeSight Foundation of Alabama (EFSA) Problem-Solving Training and Low Vision Rehabilitation. The grant funding mechanism is aimed to match the research funds in the K-23 Award (identified above).

Projects on which Laura Dreer is serving as a Co-Investigator: