Dr. Novack received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Memphis State University after completing a Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology from Wake Forest University and a B.A. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary. He completed an internship in clinical psychology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Novack is Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology and was a clinician for 35 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Spain Rehabilitation Center. He has received research funding from the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. He served as Project Director for the UAB Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System program for 20 years.
“Tom is well deserving of this honor. During his long tenure in UAB’s Department of PMR, his research in the field of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has led to national recognition. He was awarded the initial TBI Model System grant for the department, which has been maintained over the last 25 years,” said Robert Brunner, MD, Medical Director, UAB Traumatic Brain Injury Model System. “He continues to be involved with TBI research, which has led to better evaluation and care of the TBI population. On top of this research, he was a great educator and clinician and many of his previous students are leaders in the field of TBI. He has been a wonderful mentor to me over the years, and I appreciate his ongoing contribution to the department and the TBI population.”
Dr. Novack has retired from PM&R but still works as a consultant with the department’s current TBI Model System, serving as Project Co-Director for a study aimed at validating methods to assess return to driving after TBI. Novack recently presented “Return to driving after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury in the United States” at the 14th World Congress on Brain Injury in Dublin, hosted by the International Brain Injury Association. The presentation was based on outcomes from research published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.