Dr. Martin A. Samuels

Martin A. Samuels, MD
Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Neurologist in Chief and Chairman, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Dr. Schmahmann is responsible for articulating the role of the cerebellum in cognition and has written extensively on this topic.  His strategy for unraveling this mystery has been a rigorous neuro-anatomical approach, supplemented with modern imaging and correlated with careful clinical observations.  His book on the fiber tracts of the brain, based on beautiful work done with the distinguished neuroanatomist, Deepak Pandya, is nothing less than a masterpiece.  Its importance to the interpretation of modern imaging techniques such as diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging cannot be overestimated.  Imagers will refer to Schmahmann’s work in interpreting these MRIs for many years to come.  I believe it will become a classic in this important and burgeoning field.

Dr. Schmahmann is a superb and seasoned clinical neurologist. The neurology clerkship at the Massachusetts General Hospital that he has directed for many years is rigorous, extremely well organized and critically acclaimed.  He is beloved and respected for his clinical, academic and teaching skills by the Partners Neurology residents, who are the most critical and well-qualified trainees in neurology in the world. His course on The Cerebellum and Cognition at the American Academy of Neurology, the largest neurological society in the world, has been a critical success and has been repeated by popular demand for several years.  As the President of the Boston Society of Neurology and Psychiatry, he single-handedly revived a nearly moribund society and converted it into a vital and exciting educational venue for all of the people interested in neurology and psychiatry in the Boston area.  His presidency was clearly the most effective of any one since I have been a member of the society, which is a period of nearly thirty years.

Dr. Schmahmann has an international reputation for his important contributions on the cognitive functions of the cerebellum and for his elegant neuroanatomical work on the fiber tracts of the brain.  He has a national reputation as a superb clinical neurologist and a regional reputation as a magnificent, rigorous and clear teacher for students and residents.

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