James Root, Ph.D. is the Director of the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory at Weill Medical College of Cornell University where he is dually appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology. His focus has been in investigating the structural and functional correlates of neuropsychiatric disorders with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder, stress hormones, and psychophysiological aspects of emotion.
In addition to his work within the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, James is also an Assistant Attending Neuropsychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Located in the Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, James’s research focuses on the cognitive effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment (including surgical intervention, anesthetic treatment, chemotherapy treatment “chemobrain” and radiation treatment). James utilizes neuroimaging techniques to investigate the effects of these various treatments on cognition, as well as on brain structure and function. A second key interest is in the effects of anesthetic drugs on emotion and memory processes in normal individuals, utilizing both cognitive-experimental and psychophysiological measures.
James completed his postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a second fellowship in neuroimaging at Weill Cornell Medical College. He completed his predoctoral residency in neuropsychology at Yale University School of Medicine.
James is an active member of the International Neuropsychological Society, the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, and the American Psychological Association.