Ralph H. Benedict, PhD, has been honored by the International Neuropsychological Society for his research on multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Benedict Receives International Award for Multiple Sclerosis Work
Published February 8, 2016 This content is archived.
story based on news release by ellen goldbaum
Ralph H. Benedict, PhD, professor in the Department of Neurology, has been named the 2016 recipient of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) Mid-Career Award.
Landmark Studies Redefined Thinking on MS
Benedict is internationally recognized for his influential research on the psychological, behavioral and cognitive effects of multiple sclerosis (MS). He also conducts research on geriatric psychiatry topics, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In 2004 and 2005, Benedict and colleagues published landmark studies that were the first to show deep gray matter atrophy is the primary driver of cognitive impairment in MS; the studies also showed cognitive dysfunction is the most important predictor of vocational disability in MS patients.
The research challenged the conventional thinking about MS and is changing the way clinicians and researchers approach the disease.
Benedict has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, many of which have been cited more than 100 times, and more than $2 million in funding, primarily from the National MS Society and the pharmaceutical industry.
Consultant to NFL, NHL on Head Trauma Cases
A UB faculty member since 1992, Benedict sees patients at the UB Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center, where he co-directs a multidisciplinary case conference. He also directs a UBMD outpatient neuropsychology practice at Buffalo General Medical Center and an inpatient consultation service at Erie County Medical Center.
Benedict is a consultant to the National Football League and National Hockey League for neuropsychological consultations in cases of head trauma. Memory tests that he developed are now widely used to assess patients with MS, head injury or schizophrenia, and they also are used by the NFL and NHL.
Won SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
A recipient of the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2015, Benedict is a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He also won the Stephen Kelly Award for MS Research of the Western New York Chapter of the National MS Society in 2013.
He has served on the editorial boards of BMC Neurology, the International Journal of MS Care, the MS Journal and Neuropsychology, and on the grant review committee of the National MS Society.
Invited to Lecture at INS Annual Meeting
Also known as the Arthur Benton Award, the INS honor recognizes individuals who “have made a substantive, independent contribution to research in the area of brain-behavior relationships as indexed by the impact of their research, number of citations, quality of journal, productivity and recognition by their peers.”
As the award recipient, Benedict presented an invited lecture on “The Evolving Role of Neuropsychological Investigations in Multiple Sclerosis” at the INS annual meeting in Boston.