Faculty

Roy Hoshi Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAN, FANA

Professor of Neurology

Department: Neurology

Graduate Group Affiliations

Neuroscience

Contact information

Goddard Laboratories, Room 518
University of Pennsylvania
3710 Hamilton Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Office: 215-573-7065
Fax: 215-898-1982

Education:
B.A. (Psychology, magna cum laude)
Harvard University, 1995.
M.D. (Medicine, cum laude)
Harvard Medical School, 2001.
M.S. (Health Sciences and Technology)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 2001.

Links
Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation
Penn Brain Science, Translation, Innovation, and Modulation(brainSTIM) Center
University of Pennsylvania Alzheimer's Disease Center

Permanent link

NGG Home » NGG Faculty » Cognitive Neuroscience

Description of Research Expertise

My research focus is on the characteristics and limits of functional neuroplasticity in the adult human brain. I investigate how the brain reorganizes itself in response to injury, and whether or not it is possible to enhance the brain’s potential for reorganization in order to speed rehabilitation using noninvasive electrical or magnetic brain stimulation. A second area of interest for me is on the use of noninvasive brain stimulation to elucidate and enhance mechanisms of cognition in healthy individuals, and the biological, social, and ethical implications of neural enhancement.

Description of Clinical Expertise

I principally treat patients suffering from dementia. I also have expertise in evaluating and treating patients with cognitive deficits following stroke.

Description of Other Expertise

I am is deeply involved in issues related to diversity in medicine, inclusion, and health equity. I am one of the Assistant Deans for Diversity and Inclusion at the Perelman School of Medicine and I am the Vice Chair for Diversity and Inclusion in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Selected Publications

Chen, B.B., Haeusermann, T., Dada, A., Hamilton, R.H., James, J.E., Fong, K.C., Dohan, D., Chiong, W.: Race-ethnicity, rurality, and age in prospective preferences and concerns regarding closed-loop implanted neural devices. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 37(1): 79-87, Aug 2025.

Hinkle, S.N., Okeh, C.C., Ulloa-Pérez, E., Mani, A., Higginbotham, E.J., Thomas, R., Kearney, M.D., Fahl, C., Schisterman, E.F., Verma, S.S., Hamilton, R., Mumford, S.L.: Perceptions of institutional engagement and inclusion by sexual orientation and gender identity. JAMA Network Open 8(6): e2513772, Jun 2025.

D'Alonzo, B.A., Schneider, A.L.C., Erz, A., Master, C.L., Barnett, I.J., Hamilton, R.H., Wiebe, D.J., Szymczak, J.E.: A qualitative study of collegiate student-athlete experiences of recovery after concussion. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation Page: Online ahead of print. May 2025.

D'Alonzo, B.A., Schneider, A.Lc., Barnett, I.J., Master, C.L., Hamilton, R.H., Weibe, D.J.: Concurrent symptom domains and associations with recovery timelines among collegiate athletes with sport-related concussion. British Journal of Sports Medicine 59(7): 461-469, Mar 2025.

Dresang, H.C., Harvey, D.Y., Vnenchak, L., Parchure, S., Cason, S., Twigg, P., Faseyitan, O., Maher, L.M., Hamilton, R.H., Coslett, H.B.: Semantic and phonological abilities inform efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation on sustained aphasia treatment outcomes. Neurobiology of Language 6: nol_a_00160, Mar 2025.

Fernandez, K.A., Erickson, B.A., Kable, J.W., Hamilton, R.H., Medaglia, J.D.: Evaluating risk and benefit sensitivity for cognitive treatments. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement 9(2): 214-229, Mar 2025.

D'Alonzo, B.A., Barnett, I.J., Master, C.L., Hamilton, R.H., Wiebe, D.J., Schneider, A.L.C.; Ivy League-Big Ten Epidemiology of Concussion Study Investigators: Factor structure and measurement invariance across sex of the sport concussion assessment tool symptom inventory. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Page: Epub ahead of print, Nov 2024.

Archer, Q., Brenya, J., Chavarria, K., Fierst, A., Ahmad, N., Zorns, S., Vaidya, S., Shelanskey, T., Sierra, S., Ash, S., Balugas, B., Alvarez, A., Pardillo, M., Hamilton, R., Keenan, J.P.: The Sol braiding method for handling thick hair during transcranial magnetic stimulation: An address for potential bias in brain stimulation. Journal of Visual Experimentation Aug 2024.

Xie, K., Ojemann, W.K.S., Gallagher, R.S., Shinohara, R.T., Lucas, A., Hill, C.E., Hamilton, R.H., Johnson, K.B., Roth, D., Litt, B., Ellis, C.A.: Disparities in seizure outcomes revealed by large language models. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 31(6): 1348-1355, May 2024.

Baldwin, A., Copeland, J., Azage, M., Dratch, L., Johnson, K., Paul, R.A., Amado, D.A., Baer, M., Deik, A., Elman, L.B., Guo, M., Hamedani, A.G., Irwin, D.J., Lasker, A., Orthmann-Murphy, J., Quinn, C.C., Tropea, T.F., Scherer, S.S., Shinohara, R.T., Hamilton, R.H., Ellis, C.A.: Disparities in genetic testing for neurologic disorders. Neurology 102(6): e209161, Mar 2024.