George Prigatano is presently Emeritus Chair of the Department of Clinical Neuropsychology and Newsome Chair of Neuropsychology at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He is board-certified in Clinical Neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and holds fellowship status in Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) and Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.


In 1980, he established a neuropsychological rehabilitation program for adults at the Presbyterian Hospital in Oklahoma City, which resulted in the publication of his book: Neuropsychological Rehabilitation after Brain Injury (1986). In May of 1985, he established the Section of Clinical Neuropsychology at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.


Dr. Prigatano’s interest and research on impaired self-awareness after various brain disorders resulted in the edited text with Daniel Schacter entitled: Awareness of Deficit after Brain Injury: Theoretical and Clinical Issues (1991) and the more recently edited text: The Study of Anosognosia (2010). In 1999, he published Principles of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation.


In 1998 he was the President of the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) and in 2001 he received the Distinguished Neuropsychologist Award from that organization. In 2003, he received the Jim Thorpe Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation Services and Research and was named Distinguished Lecturer of the Year by the Swedish Neuropsychological Society.


His work has focused on the psychological care for adults and children with known or suspected brain dysfunction. In this regard, he has emphasized the importance of psychodynamic insights in patient care.


Dr. Prigatano’s research studies include the process and outcome of neuropsychological rehabilitation, the role of cognitive and emotional changes in arriving at a neuropsychological diagnosis, and the study of impaired awareness, both as reflected in the phenomenon of anosognosia as well as denial of illness. He has spent additional time developing the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functioning, which is a screening test developed at Barrow Neurological Institute, now translated into eight languages and used internationally.