Ross Zafonte

Dr. Ross D. Zafonte is Earle P. and Ida S. Charlton Professor and Chairman of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as Senior Vice President Medical Affairs Research and Education at Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Dr. Zafonte’s textbook is considered one of the standards in the field of brain injury care. Dr. Zafonte’s work is presently funded by the NIH, DOD and NIDRR, and he is currently directing several large clinical treatment trials. His laboratory work has focused on understanding mechanisms of recovery after Brain and Spinal Cord Injury.

He has published extensively on traumatic brain injuries, spasticity, and other neurological disorders, as well as presented on these topics at conferences nationally and internationally. He is the author of more than 300 peer review journal articles, abstracts and book chapters.

In addition, he is on the editorial board of the Journal of Neurotrauma, and NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. He previously served on the founding editorial board of PMR. In 2006, Dr. Zafonte was selected to receive the Walter Zeiter award and lectureship by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and, in 2008, he was the recipient of the Association of Academic Physiatrists Distinguished Academician Award. In 2012, Dr. Zafonte received the William Caveness award for outstanding clinical care and research from the Brain Injury Association of America, and, in 2013, he received the Joel DeLisa Prize from the Kessler Foundation. In 2014 Dr Zafonte will receive the Moody prize for Brain Injury research and care. In recent years he has received the following awards: the Sam O. Thier Award and Physician of the Year in 2017, and the Ed Lowman Award, the Dennis Mathews Lectureship and the Chautauqua Lectureship in 2018. Most recently he received the Prince Lectureship in 2019.

Certified Specialities

• Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Brain Injury Medicine

Education and Training

Medical Education

Nova Southeastern University

Residency

Mount Sinai School of Medicine