Robert Stern, PhD
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Affiliation(s):
Boston University School of Medicine
Lab URL:
Areas of Interest:
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Alzheimer's dementia, Alzheimer's dementia diagnostics, neuropsychological assessment
Biography & Research:
Dr. Robert Stern is Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy and Neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine, where he is also Director of the Clinical Core of the BU Alzheimer’s Disease and CTE Center (one of only 27 Alzheimer’s disease centers funded by the National Institutes of Health or NIH). A major focus of his research involves the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts in athletes, including the neurodegenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He is the lead investigator (with Drs. Jeffrey Cummings, Eric Reiman, and Martha Shenton, co-PI's) of a recently awarded $16 million NIH grant for a multi-center study to develop methods of diagnosing CTE during life, as well as examining potential risk factors of the disease (including genetic and head impact exposure). Dr. Stern’s other major areas of funded research include the assessment and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the cognitive effects of chemotherapy in the elderly. Dr. Stern has also published on various aspects of cognitive assessment and is the senior author of many widely used neuropsychological tests, including the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB). He has received several NIH and other national grants, has over 250 publications, and is a Fellow of both the American Neuropsychiatric Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. He is on several journal editorial boards and is the Chair of the Advisory Council to the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the MA/NH Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. He is a member of the Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury Committee of the NFL Players Association, as well as the medical advisory boards of biotech/pharma companies. Dr. Stern is a clinician, educator, and mentor. He has testified before the US Senate Special Committee on Aging and he appears frequently in national and international print and broadcast media for his work on CTE and AD.
