I hold the rank of SUNY Distinguished Professor of Neurology, with volunteer appointments in Psychiatry, Psychology and Counseling and Educational Psychology. Throughout my career I have maintained and active clinical appointment at the University Neurology Inc and UBMD practices.

CLINICAL SERVICE AND TEACHING
I direct the Neuropsychology Service at UBMD Neurology, at the Conventus building on the Buffalo Niagara Medical campus. I also provide an inpatient consultation service at the Erie County Medical Center. Chief among my specific clinical activities are the neuropsychological services for patients at the Jacobs Multiple Sclerosis Center and the UB Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center. The neuropsychology service in Neurology includes 4 clinical scholar neuropsychologists. Our clinical mission is to provide compassionate, state-of-the-art care for patients and families affected by a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Our top-rate neuropsychological services are based on the integration of neurological, psychiatric and imaging findings and structured to meet the needs of our patients and their caregivers. Our Neuropsychology Service is dedicated to the teaching mission of Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and the Psychology and Counseling Psychology program at UB. We support the departments of neurology and psychiatry, and practicum and internship placements for UB graduate students. Students, residents and fellows have a rich learning experience with us and see a wide range of diseases such as personality disorder, malingering, depression, head trauma, concussion, multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, dementia, epilepsy and pervasive developmental disorders. Medical students have the opportunity to work with both children and adults during didactic rounds, and they may choose to focus on the evaluation of either patient population based on their clinical focus.

REASEARCH

>360 peer-reviewed papers with `40,000 citations. H index = 95.

One research mission is to employ behavioral psychometrics to understand how cerebral disease affects personality, cognition, and psychiatric stability. Two memory tests I developed, the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised (BVMTR) and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test Revised (HVLTR), are widely used in neuropsychology, especially in the areas of multiple sclerosis, head injury, and schizophrenia, and they are included in consensus panel test batteries for athlete concussions in the NHL and NFL. I work to develop new tests in order to understand the effects of cerebral injuries and disease. I have developed other tests such at the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire. I led the development of two consensus test batteries for multiple sclerosis, the Minimal Assessment for Cognition in MS (MACFIMS) and the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS, >1000 citations). I led an international effort to develop psychometric validity of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test in MS populations, which is not recognized as the gold standard cognitive test in the field. Currently a new test utilizing phone and digital technology is in use locally and under new development.

I also focus on the disease multiple sclerosis (MS) and have conducted several studies on pharmacological and behavioral treatments for cognitive function in MS patients. I was a major contributor to the idea that gray matter atrophy is the primary driver of cognitive impairment in MS, and in particular, deep gray matter atrophy. Other research contributions in MS include [a] personality changes and employment, MS dementia, and associations with clinical outcomes, [b] self-report is not a valid indicator of neuropsychological status in MS, [c] Symbol Digit Modalities Test is a reliable and valid marker for cognitive outcomes in clinical trials.

We are currently pursuing research on a novel application of personality trait research to the understanding of brain/cognitive reserve in MS and Alzheimer's dementia.