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Steven Paul Woods

SPWoods.jpg

Professor
Director, Cognitive Neuropsychology of Daily Life Laboratory
Director of Clinical Training
Psy.D., Virginia Consortium (College of William & Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University)

Heyne Building, Room 239D
713-743-2255
spwoods@uh.edu

Dr. Woods will be reviewing graduate student applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. Application deadline is Dec 1, 2024. Please see Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data for details.

Biography

Professor Woods received his B.S. in psychology from Portland State University in 1994 and a Psy.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology from the Virginia Consortium (College of William & Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University) in 2000. He completed his clinical internship at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System (West Haven) and a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. His first academic appointment was in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), where he rose to the rank of Professor. In 2014, Professor Woods moved his laboratory to the Department of Psychology at the University of Houston.

Professor Woods' program of research uses cognitive theory to enhance the clinical detection, prediction, and remediation of real-world health outcomes in various neuropsychological populations, including HIV disease and aging. In particular, he is interested in how people’s ability to “remember to remember” (i.e., prospective memory) and to navigate the internet can affect health-related behaviors such as adhering to medications. More details on Prof. Woods’ research can be viewed at Google Scholar or ResearchGate. Professor Woods also provides clinical neuropsychology services to persons with HIV disease at the Thomas Street Health Center at Quentin Mease.

Research Interests

  • Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology
  • Health-related Everyday Functioning (e.g., health literacy, health-related internet navigation skills)
  • HIV disease, aging
  • Prospective Memory

Selected Publications

(*predoctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, or junior faculty co-authors mentored by Professor Woods)

*Matchanova, A., *Babicz., M.A., *Kordovski, V.M., *Tierney, S.M., *Rahman, S., Medina, L.D., Cushman, C., & Woods, S.P. (2023). Does neurocognition contribute to age-related deficits in the online navigation of electronic patient health portals? Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 29(7), 662-669. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617722000650

Woods, S.P., *Babicz, M.A., *Matchanova, A., *Sullivan, K.L., *Avci, G., Hasbun, R., Giordano, T.P., Fazeli, P., & Morgan, E.E. (2021). A clinical pilot study of spaced retrieval practice with a self-generation booster to improve health-related memory in persons with HIV disease. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 36(7), 1296-1306. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaa130 

Woods, S.P., *Kordovski, V., *Tierney, S., & *Babicz, M.A. (2019). Internet navigation skill as a performance-based measure of everyday functioning in clinical neuropsychology: A brief review of an emerging literature. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 33(2), 305-326. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2018.1503332 

 

Woods, S.P., Morgan, E.E., Loft, S., *Matchanova, A., Verduzco, M., & Cushman, C. (2021). Enhancing cue salience improves aspects of naturalistic time-based prospective memory in older adults with HIV disease. Neuropsychology, 35(1), 111-122. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000644

Woods, S.P., Weinborn, M., Velnoweth, A., Rooney, A., & Bucks, R. (2012). Memory for intentions is uniquely associated instrumental activities of daily living in older adults. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18(1), 134-138. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617711001263