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| Matthew Kurtz,
assistant professor of psychology, teaches behavioral neurobiology. |
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| Posted 09.19.07 |
Assistant Professor Expert on Schizophrenia, Neurocognition
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Matthew Kurtz has
joined the Psychology Department as an assistant professor.
Kurtz’s research focus is on developing cognitive and social-cognitive
training programs for improving neurocognitive and psychosocial function in
patients with schizophrenia. He’s interested in implementing functional
brain imaging probes, neuropsychological tests and real-world employment
outcomes as measures of change.
He’s co-teaching Behavioral Neurobiology this fall.
Kurtz comes to Wesleyan from The Neuropsychiatry Research Center, part of
the Institute of Living in Hartford where he was a research scientist.
There, he studied neurocognition, brain imaging and rehabilitation in
schizophrenia. He continues his appointment as an assistant clinical
professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.
Kurtz was a visiting assistant professor of psychology at Wesleyan during
spring semester 2005, and spring semester 2007. These positions gave Kurtz a
“first-hand experience with the intellectual curiosity, motivation and
open-mindedness characteristic of so much of the Wesleyan student body,” he
says.
“Wesleyan’s reputation as both a top-notch scholarly institution, coupled
with its emphasis on instruction appeared to make it an ideal fit for me,”
he says.
Kurtz obtained a bachelor of science in psychology at Reed College, and a
master of science and Ph.D in psychology from Princeton University.
Subsequently, he received training in the applied field of clinical
neuropsychology, learning assessment and intervention techniques for a
variety of brain disorders, resulting in a certificate in this field through
the City University of New York, as well as licensure in Connecticut as a
psychologist. Most recently, he completed a National Institute of Mental
Health post-doctoral fellowship in neuropsychiatric aspects of schizophrenia
at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2005, he was awarded a NIMH Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
for research on “Neurocognitive rehabilitation for schizophrenia.” He will
continue NIH-funded research at Wesleyan.
“The resources Wesleyan has made available to move our NIH-funded work
forward are exquisite,” Kurtz says.
Kurtz is the author or co-author of more than 20 published articles, most
recently, "Neurocognitive remediation for schizophrenia: A review of recent
advances,” published in Current Psychiatry Reviews, in press; “A
virtual-reality apartment as a measure of medication management skills in
patients with schizophrenia: A pilot study,” published in Schizophrenia
Bulletin, in press; and “Computer-assisted cognitive remediation in
schizophrenia: What is the active ingredient?” published in Schizophrenia
Research, 2007.
In addition, he is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society,
Connecticut Neuropsychological Society and the American Psychological
Association.
Kurtz enjoys traveling, listening to jazz and post-punk music, and reading
poetry and non-fiction. He resides in West Hartford.
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| By
Olivia Bartlett, The Wesleyan Connection
editor. Photo contributed. |
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