Dr. Ruben Kuzniecky, Northwell Health’s vice chair of academic affairs, received the Clinical Science Research Award – one of the most honorific awards bestowed by American Epilepsy Society – at the AES 2020 annual event on Dec. 3.
“This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Kuzniecky’s distinguished history of excellence as a nationally and internationally renowned clinical researcher who has contributed to the collective understanding and effective treatment of epilepsy,” said Dr. Souhel Najjar, senior vice president and executive director of Northwell Health’s neurology service line. “Dr. Kuzniecky has dedicated the past thirty years of his career to advancing diagnostics and treatments for epilepsy, paving the way for patients to live a better quality of life.”
At the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Kuzniecky currently serves as a co-principal investigator of an National Institutes of Health -sponsored study using specialized magnetic resonance imaging techniques to determine connections in the brain (human connectome) in order to predict the effectiveness of epilepsy surgery.
He currently also co-directs the Human Epilepsy Projects (I and II), a series of international studies of epilepsy prognosis and biomarkers.
“I am extremely honored to receive this award from the American Epilepsy Society,” said Kuzniecky. “Ongoing clinical research is essential in finding a cure for epilepsy because this condition affects 65 million people worldwide and continues to be a major challenge to patients and families.”
Kuzniecky has authored five books, having most recently published Epilepsy 101: A New Patient and Family Guide to Living Well. In addition, Dr. Kuzniecky has authored 40 book chapters, over 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and over 600 meeting abstracts.
He was awarded more than 60 research grants from the NIH, drug and device companies, foundations and holds four patents. Dr. Kuzniecky has been an invited guest speaker at numerous lectures, seminars, and workshops at local, national, and international meetings and congresses.
Serving on the editorial boards of Epilepsia, Epilepsy & Behavior, Journal of Neuroimaging, and Neurology Current, Kuzniecky is also an ad-hoc reviewer for over a dozen epilepsy and neurology-focused journals. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and of the American Epilepsy Society and an elected member of the American Neurological Association.
He has served as board member and treasurer of the American Epilepsy Society; a board member of the American Society of Neuroimaging (ASNI) and, chairman of ASNI’s Oldendorf award committee.
