Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Director, Ataxia Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
The Cerebellum Institute Director

The Director is recognized internationally as an expert on the cerebellum and anatomy of the brain. He pioneered the field of cerebellum and cognition, work for which he received the coveted Norman Geschwind prize in Behavioral Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology and the Behavioral Neurology Society in 2000. His anatomical studies have also provided new insights into the anatomy and function of the cerebral white matter in monkey and human (that allows different brain regions to communicate with each other), work that won the 2006 prize for the Best Publication in Medical Science from the American Association of Publishers. His studies have advanced the understanding of the anatomy and diseases of the cerebellum, neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism, and the effects of damage to the white matter of the brain in diseases including traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. Dr. Schmahmann has been voted into Best Doctors in America since 1998. He is the medical advisor to the New England chapter of the National Ataxia Foundation, and a member of the NAF scientific advisory board.

1980                University of Cape Town

Graduated with Honors; Distinction in Final Professional Examination

Wilfrid Exner Baumann Prize, Best Student in Final Year

Nestlé Prize, Best Final Year Student in Pediatrics

1984                Resident Prize Winner, Boston Society of Neurology and Psychiatry

1985-1988       National Institutes of Health Training Grant

1987                American Academy of Neurology, S. Weir Mitchell Honorable Mention

1993                Harvard University, Milton Fund Award

1993, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2008    

Harvard University – Nominee, Harvard Medical School Prize for Excellence in Teaching (Years 3 and 4)

1996-1997       Selected in “The Best Doctors in America, Northeast Region”, 1996-1997

1998-                              Selected in “The Best Doctors in America”, annually 1998 through 2011

                        McDonnell Pew Foundation Research Grant

                        National Library of Medicine Research Grant

2000                Norman Geschwind Prize for Behavioral Neurology Research, from the American Academy of Neurology and the Behavioral Neurology Society

2001                Massachusetts General Hospital – Partners in Excellence Award for patient care.

2002                Harvard Medical School, Scholar, The Academy at Harvard

Guy McKahn Lecture, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

2003                Harvard Medical School – Certificate of Teaching Excellence in PD-II      

2005                American Academy of Neurology, Elected Fellow 

University of New Mexico, Visiting Professor, Distinguished Speaker Series,

Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Psychology, and MIND Institute

2006                Scientific Advisory Board Member, National Ataxia Foundation

2007                Medical Science Award, Professional and Scholarly Publishing division of the Association of American Publishers, for Fiber Pathways of the Brain. Best book in the category of medical publications in 2006

                        Visiting Professor, Mayo Clinic Medical School

2008                Distinguished Teacher Award, American Neurological Association

                        American Neuropsychiatric Association, Elected Fellow

                        MA degree, Honoris causae, Harvard University

2009                Norman Geschwind Memorial Lecture, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

2011                IDEAS in Psychiatry Visiting Professor, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Robert G Heath MD Lecture, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

2012                Ronnie Mac Keith Guest Lecture, British Pediatric Neurology Association, Institute of Child Health, London, England

2013                Harvard Medical School Special Faculty Prize for Sustained Excellence in Teaching

2014                MGH Scientific Advisory Council Martin Prize for Clinical Research for Margolin et al., Ataxia, Dementia, and Hypogonadotropism Caused by Disordered Ubiquitination. N Engl J Med, 2013 May 23;368(21):1992-2003.

                        The George B. Murray Limbic Endowed Psychiatry Grand Rounds Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital

            Benjamin Shapiro Lecturer, University of Minnesota Department of Neurology