Ruben Kuzniecky

Ruben Kuzniecky,M.D. (b1957) is a professor of Neurology and a neurologist known for his groundbreaking work in the field of epilepsy. He was born in Panama City, Panama where he attended the Pedagogico Academy. He graduated from University of Buenos Aires Medical School in Argentina in 1981. He completed training in neurology and medicine at McGill university, Montreal, Canada in 1987 and epilepsy EEG fellowship at the famous Montreal Neurological Institute in 1988. He married Dr. Yvonne Kuzniecky in 1983 and they have three children: Abraham, Hannah, and most notably, Joel.

Dr. Kuzniecky directs epilepsy research at the New York University (NYU) Comprehensive Epilepsy Center since 2003. Prior to arriving at NYU, he directed the Epilepsy Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research is centered on the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and its applications to epilepsy. He was the first to recognize and prove that mesial temporal sclerosis, a common cause for difficult epilepsy, can be identified with MRI.

He has authored over a hundred book chapters and journal articles on a number of topics related to epilepsy. He has written two books on MRI in epilepsy. He has received epilepsy research grants from the NIH and many foundations. More recently, Dr. Kuzniecky was co-awarded a major NIH grant to organize the epilepsy phenome genome project (EPGP).

He has been recognized for his efforts in the "Best Doctors in America" in 1995, 1998, and 2002-2008, and by the New Yorker since 2004 as the one of the best doctors in the New York area. These only represent a few of the many honors that have been bestowed upon him for his tremendous achievements in the field.

Dr Kuzniecky described the Kuzniecky Syndrome in 1991, also known as Perisylvian Polymicrogyria. The Syndrome is characterized by seizures, cognitive abnormalities, and a peculiar inability to use the mouth and tongue muscles. This syndrome is recognized by orphanet [www.orpha.net] as a specific malformation of the brain.