Ross D. Zafonte is an American board-certified

physiatrist Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatry, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to people with physical impairments or disabilities. This can include conditions su ...

known for his academic work in

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic b ...

and is recognized as an expert in his field. His textbook, ''Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice'', is regarded as a standard in brain injury care. Zafonte has spoken at national and international conferences about traumatic brain injury, spasticity and other neurological disorders, and has authored more than 300 peer review journal articles, abstracts and book chapters. He serves on the editorial board of the ''Journal of Neurotrauma'' and ''NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation''.

Early life and education

Zafonte says he always knew he wanted to help others recover, but realized the importance of medicine when his grandfather suffered a stroke. He attended undergraduate school at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

and received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and biochemistry in 1981. He attended medical school at the

Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM) is a private medical school in Davie, Florida. Founded in 1981 as the only osteopathic medical school located in the Southeastern United States at the ti ...

and received his

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licens ...

(D.O.) degree in 1985. After receiving his medical degree, Zafonte completed a one-year internship at Henry Ford Bi-County Hospital and then a physical medicine and rehabilitation

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

at the

Mount Sinai School of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eigh ...

. He was board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation in 1990.

Career

Zafonte is the chairman of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is a 132-bed rehabilitation teaching hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the official teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the ma ...

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in Boston, Massachusetts, and the chief of physical medicine & rehabilitation at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

. He held the position of

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is a $23billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 92,000 employees, 40 hospitals with more than 8,000 licensed beds, 800 clinical locations including outpatient sites and do ...

Vice President of rehabilitation services prior to his move to Harvard and has also served as a faculty member at

Thomas Jefferson University Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

, the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

, and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. Zafonte researches the mechanisms of recovery after brain and spinal cord injury. His work is currently funded by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

and

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is a United States governmental agency that provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of ...

, and he is currently directing several large clinical treatment trials.

Awards

*In 2006, Zafonte was selected by the

American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) is the national medical specialty society in the United States for physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). These physicians are called "physia ...

to receive the Walter Zeiter award. * In 2007, Zafonte received the Distinguished Academician award from the Association of Academic Physiatrists. *In 2012, Zafonte received the William Caveness award for outstanding clinical care and research from the Brain Injury Association of America. *In 2013, Zafonte received the Kessler Foundation's DeLisa Award for excellence in research and education in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. *In 2014, Zafonte received the Moody Prize for brain injury research and care.

References

External links

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital profile
American healthcare managers Harvard Medical School faculty Living people American medical researchers Year of birth missing (living people) Nova Southeastern University alumni University of Georgia alumni University of Missouri faculty Thomas Jefferson University faculty University of Pittsburgh faculty Wayne State University faculty {{US-med-bio-stub