Meet the neuropsychologist behind the practice — a Miami-native dedicated to bringing clarity to every brain she evaluates.
Dr. Melissa Costero Diaz completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology at Albizu University in Miami, Florida in 2022. She then completed her post-doctoral fellowship for specialization in neuropsychology at Thomson Memory and Attention Center in Chicago, IL, where she also worked as full-time staff before founding 305 Brains.
At Thomson, Dr. Costero Diaz gained experience in lifespan neuropsychology, dedicating her caseload to pediatrics (ages 6+), teens, adults, and geriatrics (ages 65+). She assessed pediatric patients for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism, ADHD, and learning disorders. She additionally assessed adults with traumatic brain injuries, toxin exposure, ADHD, Autism, and psychiatric disorders. With the geriatric population, she gained experience assessing neurocognitive disorders including Alzheimer's Disease, vascular disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinson's disease, and TBI-related neurocognitive disorders.
Dr. Costero Diaz has experience working across a broad range of settings — from private practices to hospitals to community mental health clinics — where she provided Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorder evaluations, trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT), and administered psychoeducational, forensic, and neuropsychological evaluations.
Dr. Costero Diaz served as a Student Investigator and Practicum Student at the University of Miami Jackson Behavioral Health Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging, where she administered neuropsychological assessments amongst geriatric populations and experimental neuropsychological batteries for the investigation of detecting early dementia across various longitudinal studies.
She has also been involved in research with the Design Neuroscience Center, examining the effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) in athletes. Her clinical interests include diagnosing and treating neurocognitive disorders and conducting neuropsychological assessments across the lifespan.
Dr. Costero Diaz's goal in creating 305 Brains was to help people in the Miami-Dade community gain access to clear diagnoses in order to improve quality of life. As a Miami-native, she is passionate about connecting with her community and offers services in both English & Spanish.
A former collegiate softball player (2nd base at Warner University), she also has experience as a hitting coach and head softball coach, and studied Sports Psychology at the undergraduate level. She is a dedicated advocate for athlete safety — a strong believer that sports should be enjoyed safely, with proper injury-prevention measures, rather than eliminated.
Neuropsychology Concentration · Albizu University, Miami, FL · 2022
Thomson Memory and Attention Center · Chicago, IL
Goodman Psychological Services Center
University of Miami Jackson Behavioral Health · Design Neuroscience Center
Diagnosing & Treating Neurocognitive Disorders · Neuropsychological Assessments Across the Lifespan