Biographies
Ali Rezai, MD
John D. Rockefeller IV Chair in Neuroscience Executive Chair, Vice President and Associate Dean
Ali Rezai, MD, is the executive chair of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, associate dean of Neuroscience and the John D. Rockefeller IV Chair at West Virginia University. A neuroscientist and practicing neurosurgeon, Dr. Rezai’s clinical areas of expertise include the neurosurgical management of Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and behavioral disorders. His work at the Institute also targets important societal health challenges such as Alzheimer’s disease and addiction.
Dr. Rezai has led teams that have pioneered groundbreaking techniques and treatments such as neuromodulation and brain implants to treat traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, headaches, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological disorders. His work has been widely recognized: the brain-computer interface to treat paralysis was published in the Journal Nature in 2016 and also generated front-page news in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. In October 2018 the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute team and its partners conducted the first phase II human trial to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease using an innovative focused ultrasound technology.
Dr. Rezai has authored more than 220 scientific publications, has received several awards for innovation, and currently holds 55 US patents. His research in neuromodulation has led to novel therapeutic applications and medical device technology. He has trained more than 50 fellows and presented findings in neuroscience and brain health to the President of the United States and the United States Congress.
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Marc Haut, PhD
Vice Chair and Director, Clinical Research and Education
Marc W. Haut, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified, clinical neuropsychologist who most recently served as professor and chair of WVU’s Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry. He joined the WVU faculty in 1989 as an assistant professor and has been an active clinician, educator and researcher. In previous roles, he directed neuropsychology training and services and headed the psychology section.
In his current role he has focused on expanding clinical psychiatric and behavioral health services to underserved areas of the state through Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) programs and telepsychiatry. In addition, he is dedicated to expanding clinical services to address the current opioid epidemic. WVU is utilizing grant funding and collaborations throughout the state to expand Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) through the use of ECHO and a hub and spoke model. Additionally, he has been building the research infrastructure of the department to support development of novel treatment programs to improve outcome for addiction and other mental health services. He is working with Dr. Ali Rezai and others at the RNI to expanding the role of neuromodulation in the treatment of psychiatric disease, including addiction.
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James Mahoney III, PhD
Assistant Professor/Clinical Neuropsychologist
My current research interests involve neuropsychological sequelae related to opioid use disorder and confounding/contributory factors impacting neurocognitive functioning in these individuals. I am also interested in the neurocircuitry of substance us disorders (SUD) and investigating novel treatments, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), for SUD. My current interests emerged from my previous research work as a Clinical Research Manager at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Baylor College of Medicine where the primary focus of the laboratories was Phase I medication development for stimulant use disorders. During this time, while the primary outcomes of the clinical trials were safety and initial efficacy of the medications, I was able to carve out my own niche that included evaluating whether these compounds impacted cognition as some of these agents had cognitive enhancing properties.
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