HJNO Nov/Dec 2023

20 NOV / DEC 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Robert A. Stern, PhD Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Director of Clinical Research, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center Q&A Robert Stern, PhD, is professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and anatomy and neurobiology at the Boston University (BU) Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert on the neurodegenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and is co- founder and director of clinical research for the BU CTE Center. The focus of his research is to develop methods of detecting and diagnosing CTE during life and to better understand the risk factors for later-life neurological consequences of repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries in former American football players, soccer players, and other contact sport athletes. He is the lead investigator of the DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project, a $17 million, multi-center, 8-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He was also the principal investigator of the Head Impact & Trauma Surveillance Study (HITSS), also funded by NIH, which is a longitudinal online assessment of 4800 former American football players and soccer players, age 40 years or older, who participated at any level. Stern’s other major area of funded research includes the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. He has had continuous research funding for over 34 years from NIH, the U.S. Department of Defense, and various foundations and industries. Stern was a member of the NFL Players Association’s Mackey-White Player Health and Safety Committee as well as the court-appointed Medical Science Committee of the NCAA Concussion Settlement. He has over 250 peer-reviewed publications, is a member of several medical journal editorial boards, and is the co- editor of two books — Sports Neurology , part of the Handbook of Clinical Neurology series, and the Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders . He is a clinical neuropsychologist and has developed several widely used neuropsychological tests, including the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB). He is a Fellow of the American Neuropsychiatric Association and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. CTE: FOOTBALL’S AFTERMATH — A US HEALTHCARE JOURNALS SERIES