Hal Blumenfeld

Hal Blumenfeld, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Neurosurgery at Yale University's School of Medicine, serving as Director of the Clinical Neuroscience Imaging Center (CNIC). He specializes in epilepsy, consciousness, and neuroimaging. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying impaired consciousness during seizures and developing innovative diagnostic and treatment approaches. Dr. Blumenfeld holds a PhD from Columbia University and completed neurology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.

• Appointments: Neurology (Primary), Neuroscience & Neurosurgery (Secondary)
• Key Roles: Director, CNIC; Author, Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases

Research Interests: Epilepsy, Consciousness, Neuroimaging, and Cortical-Subcortical Mechanisms. His work combines human and animal models to study seizure-induced consciousness impairment, with a focus on neurovascular coupling, EEG-fMRI, and wearable technologies for real-time monitoring.

Publications highlight advancements in understanding absence epilepsy, focal seizures, and the neural correlates of sensory perception. Recent studies explore cholinergic arousal deficits and predictive models for impaired consciousness. His team has developed the ARTiE Watch for automated responsiveness testing in epilepsy.

• Awards: Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (NIH), Francis Gilman Blake Award (Yale), and Whitaker Visiting Professorship (ANA).
• Labs & Teams: Blumenfeld Lab, CNIC, and collaborations with the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience.