Meet Our Team

Katy Dondanville, PsyD, ABPP, is an Associate Professor within the Psychiatry Department at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She is board certified in cognitive and behavioral psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Dondanville is the director of research for the Fort Hood Site of the STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. She oversees 30 faculty and staff in the delivery and evaluation of clinical intervention research for combat PTSD and related conditions in collaboration with some of the world’s leading clinical experts. Dr. Dondanville and her clinical team have delivered cutting-edge treatment and assessment for over 2000 service members in the STRONG STAR clinic at Ft Hood. In 2016, Dr. Dondanville was awarded the UT Health Science Center Presidential Award for Clinical Service for her work with service members and veterans with PTSD. In 2017, she was awarded the Arthur W. Melton Early Achievement Award from the Society of Military Psychology (Division 19) of the American Psychological Association. She has trained hundreds of mental health providers in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and has consulted with organizations and providers regarding the successful implementation of evidence-based treatments in community settings.

Brooke A. Fina, LCSW, BCD, is an Associate Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Ms. Fina is board certified in clinical social work by the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work. She serves as the suicide risk advisor for the STRONG STAR Consortium and Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. She specializes in Prolonged Exposure (PE) for combat-related PTSD and is a trainer and master clinician in PE, as well as a trainer in Crisis Response Plan for suicide prevention. She is an expert in Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and Nightmares (CBT-I&N). Ms. Fina oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of all training curriculum.

Crystal Mendoza, MA, joined The STRONG STAR Training Initiative in 2019, as a Program Manager. Ms. Mendoza works with stakeholders, faculty, providers, and staff across the country to strengthen their efforts to attract, train, evaluate and support the delivery and evaluation of clinical intervention research for combat PTSD and related conditions. Before joining the STRONG STAR Training Initiative, she served as the lead independent evaluator for the STRONG STAR Research Consortium and Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (CAP), where she managed, trained, and provided on-going supervision for independent evaluators, therapists, fellows and staff in psychological interviews and assessments across trauma and resiliency clinical trials. Taught and trained by leading scholars Dr. Frank Weathers on Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) and career mentored by Dr. Elizabeth Hembree, Ms. Mendoza became renowned for her knowledge of psychological evaluations and assessing patient’s response to therapeutic treatment of study participants with combat-related PTSD and other traumatic-related disorders. Ms. Mendoza holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from St. Mary’s University and a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Kristi E. Pruiksma, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Pruiksma provides clinical services for the STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. Dr. Pruiksma works primarily at the site of the consortium located on the United States Army installation at Fort Hood in Killeen, TX. Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of behavioral sleep medicine and PTSD. She specializes in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares (CBT-N).

Abby Blankenship, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She is a cognitive-behavioral research therapist for the STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. Dr. Blankenship’s research and clinical interests are in the areas of PTSD, PTSD treatment mechanisms of change, and individual and family psychological resilience. Dr. Blankenship’s expertise involve providing individual and group Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and administering the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). She has extensive experience working with veterans and active duty service members.

John Moring, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He is Co-Training Director for the STRONG STAR Postdoctoral Fellowship and is the Behavioral Medicine/Cognitive Behavioral Track Coordinator for the APA-Accredited Internship in Clinical Psychology at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Moring is a research therapist for the STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. He specializes in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for combat-related PTSD and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for post-traumatic headache and Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD.

Brittany N. Hall-Clark, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Hall-Clark specializes in Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for combat-related PTSD, Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD as well as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and nightmares (CBT-I&N). At the Fort Hood site of STRONG STAR, she is a cognitive behavioral research therapist treating active duty soldiers for several randomized clinical trials since 2011. Her professional interests include translational research, the influence of cultural variables on mental health, racial/ethnic differences in PTSD symptom presentation, and provider cultural competence.

Vanessa M. Jacoby, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Jacoby provides clinical services to active duty service members and their families for the STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. Her research interests are in the developmental trajectory and treatment of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders. She specializes in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD. Additionally, Dr. Jacoby has worked with trauma-exposed children and whole families utilizing Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and has experience in incorporating family members into evidence-based treatments for PTSD.

Hannah Tyler, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Tyler provides clinical services for the STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. She has extensive experience providing trauma treatment for active duty military, veterans, and civilian community members. Dr. Tyler specializes in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and Nightmares (CBT-I&N), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), and Crisis Response Planning for Suicide Prevention. Her research interests include military psychology, evidence-based trauma treatments, and the stigmatization of combat-related PTSD.

Tabatha Blount, PhD, is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio and a Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Blount specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD, Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD, and COPE for dual diagnosis PTSD and Alcohol Abuse. Additionally, she has training in cognitive behavioral therapies for chronic pain. Since 2010, she has served as a research therapist for STRONG STAR Consortium and the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD studies examining PTSD treatments in post-911 active duty service members and veterans. Her professional interests include PTSD, chronic pain, family-based therapies, and behavioral treatments for tic disorders.

Wyatt Evans, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow within the Department of Psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio, serving as a research therapist for the STRONG STAR Consortium and Consortium to Alleviate PTSD at Fort Hood, Texas. He also has a research appointment with the National Center for PTSD supporting translational research and works with national and international groups dedicated to advancing understanding and intervention for moral injury. Dr. Evans specializes in combat-related traumatic and operational stress among active duty service members and veterans and has extensive training and experience in providing Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His professional interests include mechanisms of posttraumatic stress development and treatment, moral injury conceptualization and intervention, and trauma in marginalized populations.