Dr. Nass is a nationally renowned Child Neurologist with a special expertise in the neurological diagnosis and treatment of cognitive and behavioral disorders including concussion, learning disabilities, ADHD, tics and Tourettes, and autism. She has a special interest in the treatment of migraines and the behavioral complications of epilepsy. Her clinical research focuses are on the causes of autism, the effects of epilepsy on language, as well as on the cognitive and behavioral outcome of prematurity and congenital stroke. Dr. Nass is also interested in clinical bioethical issues like determining competence for decision making and the implications of the diagnosis of genetic diseases for families.
Dr. Nass joined the NYU Langone Medical Center in 1991. She was the Child Neurology Residency Training Program Director for almost 15 years. Dr. Nass is also in charge of the residents’ Professionalism Core Curriculum. She is on the Education Committee of the Department of Neurology. Dr. Nass is an active member of the Tisch Hospital Ethics Committee and is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the NYU Center for Bioethics.
Dr. Nass received her M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1975. She did her internship and residency in pediatrics at New Hospital Cornell Medical Center and her pediatric neurology residency at the Neurological Institute, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. She did a National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at New Hospital Cornell Medical Center. She then joined the faculty at New Hospital Cornell Medical Center where she was Division Chief of Child Neurology for five years.
Dr. Nass is the recipient of numerous research grants. She has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, as well as disease focused foundations like the March of Dimes and Autism Speaks, among others. Dr. Nass has written more than 100 articles and chapters. She has presented her research at more than 50 meetings. She has authored two books: 100 Questions and Answers about ADHD, Cognitive and Behavioral Complications of Pediatric Disorders. Dr. Nass is on the Editorial Board of Neurology, the main clinical journal in the field. She is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology and of the Child Neurology Society where she currently sits on the Ethics Committee. Dr. Nass was elected to the American Neurological Association in 1986 and is perennially on the Best Doctors in New York list.
Recognized by
Castle Connolly as one of the New York Metro Area's Top Doctors for 10 years in a row!
New York Magazine as one of New York City's "Best Doctors" 2010.
In the News
Dr. Ruth Nass Receives Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award
Dr. Nass was recently profiled in the Child Neurology Society's newsletter for having received the first Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award. Click here to read the profile and here to read more about the award. (November 2010)
Dr. Ruth Nass appeared on Health Radio's Dr. DeSilva show to discuss Autism. Click here to listen to this show. (May 17, 2010)
Books by Dr. Nass
100 Questions & Answers About Your Child's ADHD: Preschool to College, Second Edition is completely revised and updated. It is a comprehensive, practical guide for parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Discussing both medical and psycho-social aspects of the condition, Dr. Nass and Dr. Leventhal provide an authoritative yet compassionate explanation of treating this condition and teaching your child strategies for living -- and learning -- with ADHD. Comments from parents of children with ADHD bring a first-person perspective to this invaluable resource. 100 Questions & Answers About Your Child's ADHD: Preschool to College, Second Edition offers parents a helping hand in coping with the demands of raising a child with ADHD, and setting their children on a course for success in their development, education, and careers.
Cognitive and Behavioral Abnormalities of Pediatric Diseases provides a detailed account of intellectual, other neuropsychological and behavioral manifestations of general pediatric diseases. The conditions discussed include the whole range of pediatric diseases - genetic syndromes, other congenital conditions, metabolic, endocrine, gastrointestinal, infectious, immunologic, toxic, trauma, and neoplastic, as well as sensory disabilities including deafness and blindness. Although the book is not intended to discuss cognitive and behavioral manifestations of conditions usually considered to be primary neurological disease, some of those, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy and epilepsy, are included. Where possible, a "translational" approach is used, linking the behavioral and cognitive manifestations of these conditions, to the underlying structural, chemical or genetic abnormalities and their effect on the brain, and, in turn, on behavior and cognition. At the same time, included are significant psychosocial factors. Together, those factors have a major effect on patients' performance, including school performance, and on their families. This book is unique in its extensive coverage of the major pediatric conditions and of the detailed neurological, neuropsychological and behavioral aspects of each condition.
100 Questions & Answers About Your Child's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a medical disorder that can cause behavioral and psychological problems. This complex condition can be confusing for children and profoundly frustrating for parents, many of whom don't understand why their child can't seem to pay attention or sit still. Now, two experts in the field offer you the benefit of their experience in 100 Questions & Answers About Your Child s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Discussing both medical and psycho-social aspects of the condition, this book provides an authoritative yet compassionate explanation of the ins and outs of treating this condition and teaching your child strategies for living - and learning - with ADHD.
