OUR TEAM
Yuval Malinsky, CEO of Vigorous Mind, has had broad experience in software development and technology for healthcare in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. Yuval has been the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded grants in the areas of technology for brain wellness and care for persons with dementia. He has been invited to speak nationally and internationally on brain wellness and on robotics in healthcare. He was founder and CEO / Managing Director of three software and software services companies and has worked as a business consultant to Fortune 500 companies and academic institutions. Yuval was a mentor at MIT Venture Mentoring Service for five years and taught a graduate course in Emerging Technologies in Healthcare at Northeastern University. He holds a MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France and a B.A. in Computer Science and Economics from Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
Daphna Malinsky, Ph.D., is the Director of Cognitive Psychology for Vigorous Mind. She is a psychologist with more than 20 years of clinical experience in assessing children and young adults with cognitive difficulties and supporting their learning and cognitive growth. She is trained in school psychology and neuropsychology. Dr. Malinsky received her Doctorate from Boston College, writing her dissertation on Dyslexia. In her work with Vigorous Mind, Dr. Malinsky implements her knowledge of cognitive and neuropsychology in developing training regimens that exercise a wide range of cognitive skills.
Ofer Schneid serves as VP Engineering / CTO at Vigorous Mind. He has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of leading Hi Tech ventures, holding senior positions in Scitex USA, Kodak USA. In the past 16 years Ofer was the founder CEO/CTO of several ventures: Argos ltd., Indocs Inc. Ticketad and CoMeet. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering and a graduate degree from Boston University in Business Administration
Steven Wetzner, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs for Vigorous Mind, has been a practicing radiologist in the Boston area for more than 35 years and has had vast experience in technology development and implementation, business development, and healthcare-related marketing. He has worked closely with industry and has been a member of numerous medical advisory boards. He is Clinical Professor of Radiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and is Emeritus Chairman of Radiology at New England Baptist Hospital, a major Boston teaching hospital and one of the world's leading orthopedic hospitals. He is also the Medical Director of Boston PET Imaging, former Medical Director of Boston Imaging Associates, and a member of the MIT Venture Mentoring Service.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
David A. Bennett, MD, is the Robert C. Borwell Professor of Neurological Sciences and director of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center. Dr. Bennett received the degree of bachelor of science with high distinction and high honors in physiology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1979. He earned his doctorate in medicine from Rush Medical College in 1984. Following his medical internship, Dr. Bennett returned to Rush for residency training in neurology and a research fellowship in dementia, which he completed in 1989. Dr. Bennett is nationally known for his research regarding the causes, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and other neurologic conditions such as parkinsonism and cerebrovascular disease. His primary research interest is understanding how risk factors affect the brain to cause cognitive and motor impairment. Dr. Bennett is principal investigator of several studies funded by the National Institute on Aging, including the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Core Center, the Religious Orders Study and the Memory and Aging Project. He also directs the Regional Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Center for Northern Illinois for the Illinois Department of Public Health. He has more than 1,000 manuscript publications.
Louis Bherer, Ph.D. is professor at the Department of Medicine at University de Montréal and researcher at the Montréal Heart Institute. Before September 2016, Bherer was the inaugural Scientific Director of the PERFORM Centre at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He also previously held the CIHR Canada Research Chair on Aging and the Prevention of Cognitive Decline at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). Bherer completed a Master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology (Université Laval), a PhD in Neuropsychology (Université de Montréal) and a post-doc in Aging and Neurosciences at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA). His research program studies the effect of cognitive stimulation, physical activity and exercise on cognition and cognitive decline associated with aging and chronic disease. Dr. Bherer’s research program is currently supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.
Dr. Ronald Cohen, Ph.D. is the Evelyn McKnight Chair of Clinical Translation in Cognitive Aging in the McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida (UF), and also a professor in the department of Clinical Health Psychology, Neurology and Psychiatry at UF. With an endowment from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, Dr. Cohen directs the Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory. The Center has as a primary objective, to translate basic science discoveries into clinical applications in order to slow, avert or restore age-related cognitive decline and memory loss. Prior to assuming his current position at UF, Dr. Cohen was a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Director of Neuropsychology Research, Center for Behavioral Medicine, The Miriam Hospital in Providence, where he was a faculty member for 20 years. Dr. Cohen is an active researcher in clinical and cognitive neuroscience with over 320 peer reviewed journal publications. He has authored the book Neuropsychology of Attention, and co-authored books on Neuropsychology and Cardiovascular Disease, and Neuroimaging in Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Neuroscience.
ADVISORY BOARD
Ido Eilam was the Chief Executive Officer and one of the founders of SunSetter Products, the largest direct marketer and manufacturer of home retractable awnings in the United States. Originally from Israel, Mr. Eilam is an ex-fighter pilot in the Israeli air force. With the vision to cover every deck and patio in the United States with a retractable awning, Mr. Eilam grew his company to become the US awning industry leader with the only recognized awning brand. Mr. Eilam has a Master in Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
Barney Spivack, MD is an internist-geriatrician and has been involved in the clinical care of older adults for more than 30 years, with leadership roles within hospital systems and long term care, and academic affiliation with leading medical schools. He currently is a national medical director with a leading health services and innovation company. He was President and Founder of the Connecticut Geriatrics Society and is currently an advisor and was a board member of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). He is a Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society and of the American College of Physicians. In addition to his work with AGS, Dr. Spivack has been actively involved in work with AMDA-The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, and in geriatrics and long term care through other committees, task forces and workgroups on issues including dementia care, quality improvement, and other initiatives. He has won numerous awards and has repeatedly been listed as a "Best Doctor".
Lillian Glickman, Ph.D. has over 35 years of experience in gerontology and with the Massachusetts aging network. She is currently Co-Director of the Management in Aging Services Master's Program in Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. From 1998 until January 2003, she served as Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, a cabinet level position. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Secretary for nine years during two separate time periods. As Secretary, she was responsible for advocating on behalf of the Commonwealth's elders and overseeing community-based services for elders. Among her accomplishments were developing and implementing Prescription Advantage, the first insurance-based prescription drug program in the country; providing more intensive home care services; and providing expanded services to elders in public housing through the Supportive Housing program. She previously served as Executive Director of two Governor's Commissions and worked both in academia and in the private sector. She received Master of Social Work and Ph.D. degrees from the Heller School at Brandeis University and her A.B. degree from Harvard University.
Call toll free: (888) 769-6463 email: info@vigorousmind.com