The American Board of Professional Neuropsychology has named Dr. Darlyne Nemeth for the 2021 Distinguished Service Award in recognition for Leadership, Training, Practice Innovations and International Relations. Dr. Nemeth is a psychologist and medical psychologist and founder of the The Neuropsychology Center of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.
Dr. Paula Cooper, past-president of the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology noted, “Nemeth has been a pioneer in the area of Clinical Neuropsychology for over 30 years and was the first in Louisiana to establish a private practice Neuropsychology Laboratory in 1977. She also established the first Neuropsychology Laboratory at the Louisiana State University Student Mental Health Service in Baton Rouge.
“Dr. Nemeth was instrumental in the movement to have Clinical Neuropsychology recognized as a specialty area in the State of Louisiana,” said Dr. Cooper.
“Dr. Nemeth is currently serving as Co-Secretary General for the World Council for Psychotherapy (WCP) and has been a WCP/DPI/NGO Delegate to the United Nations. Dr. Nemeth has been nationally and internationally recognized for her Hurricane Anniversary Wellness Workshops, which, in cooperation with many government, religious, and professional Organizations, were offered to the victims/survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Summer 2006 and was offered in August, 2015 for the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,” said Dr. Cooper.
“Dr. Nemeth recently hosted an International meeting in Moscow that described the contributions of Luria and Reitan to child Neuropsychology. We congratulate Dr. Nemeth for all her accomplishments in the field of neuropsychology.” “I can tell you that I was quite surprised to receive this award,” said Dr. Nemeth. “Typically, such awards are given to people who are board certified. When I was young, however, board certification was not something that was emphasized. In fact, my mentor, Ralph Reitan, Ph.D., did not encourage board certification at all. Of course, at the end of his life, he appeared to have many, many credentials. For me, this was indeed a great honor. It certainly reflects the many years I have mentored students, presented at national meetings, and even published a few articles,” Dr. Nemeth said.
“One such article was 3q29 Deletion Syndrome and Neuropsychological Functioning: Fraternal Twin Case Study, which was published in Applied Neuropsychology Child, of which I serve on the Editorial Board. Another important presentation was on the role of the treating psychologist: Nemeth, D.G., Olivier, T.W., Whittington, L.T., & May, N.E. (2010, February). The role of the treating neuropsychologist in forensic cases. Poster session presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Acapulco, Mexico. I wrote this because, at that time, too many treating neuropsychologists wandered into the realm of forensics. They didn’t stay in their role. I found this very frustrating,” Dr. Nemeth said.
Dr. Nemeth has presented at the International Neuropsychology Society, National Academy of Neuropsychology, APA, as well as other professional meetings.Dr. Nemeth has co-edited/coauthored five books. Her book, Innovative Approaches to Individual and Community Resilience: From Theory to Practice was published by Elsevier Press in July 2017 and was awarded the PROSE Award in February 2018. Dr. Nemeth’s most recent book, co-edited by Janna Glozman, Ph.D., D.Sc., titled, Evaluation and Treatment of Neuropsychologically Compromised Children: Understanding Clinical Applications Post Luria and Reitan, was published by Elsevier/Academic Press in April 2020.
At its 106th Annual Convention, Dr. Nemeth was elected to Fellowship status, having been nominated by Drs. Gerry Goldstein, Linus Bielauskas, and Stanley Berendt, making her the first Clinical Neuropsychologist from the State of Louisiana to have been elected as a Division 40 Fellow. At that time, of the more than 4500 Division 40 members, including 108 Fellows, only 11 Fellows were women.