Margaret O'Connor, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Margaret O’Connor holds a number of leadership positions in academic medicine and community settings. She is president-elect of the International Neuropsychological Society, a group whose mission focuses on promoting neuroscience and brain health initiatives across the world. As director of neuropsychology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, she coordinates the clinical work of a large staff and she has mentored over 80 students.

In association with Dr. Alvaro Pascual Leone, she developed therapeutic programs to enhance memory, attention, and overall cognitive fitness through the Brain Fit Club. Dr. O’Connor is cochair of the Medical & Scientific Advisory Committee of the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts, and she is on the board of directors for the Association. She is director of research for DriveWise, an evidence-based driving assesssment program that has provided road tests for over 700 people. She has been involved in a number of public forums and legislative initiatives on impaired driving, and she has produced videos to educate the public about this important topic.

Dr. O’Connor is an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, where she has been engaged in teaching and research. With NIH and private foundation support, she conducted investigations of age-related memory loss, as well as changes in cognition that occur in the context of degenerative brain conditions. Her specific interests have to do with long-term retention of autobiographical and news events.