AARON REUBEN, PhD is a true science-practitioner. He obtained his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Duke University and completed advanced training in clinical neuropsychology during internship at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He is currently a postdoctoral clinician at NCNbA and an NIH-funded Postdoctoral Scholar in neuropsychology and environmental health at Duke University and MUSC. Dr. Reuben’s research investigates social determinants of healthy brain development and aging, focusing on modifiable environmental factors, including air quality, water quality, natural amenities, and diverse aspects of the built environment. His work seeks to inform urban design, environmental policy, and preventive medicine for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to his doctoral degree, Dr. Reuben holds a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale University, and he is a former study coordinator for Columbia University’s Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, an environmental policy researcher at the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, a presidential policy intern at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and a communications officers for the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In addition to research and teaching, Aaron writes about nature, neuroscience, and public health for national magazines, including Outside Magazine, Scientific American, and the Atlantic.
Dr. Reuben provides assessment and therapy services at NCNbA, and is also a master therapeutic rock climbing instructor and trainer. His clinical work blends neuropsychological assessment, cognitive behavioral therapy, and experiential, mindful physical activity. Dr. Reuben’s climbing therapy helps clients to experience negative thoughts and emotions on the climbing wall and to get real time feedback on how to overcome stuck-points using executive function and self-regulation skills. The most afraid he’s ever been was on the tenuous, 1,600ft climbing route “Epinephrine” in Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon.