Massachusetts General Hospital

Biography

I am a neurologist at the MGH and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. I also direct digital initiatives at the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine and am active in clinical practice and teaching of neurology

I received a BA from Whitman College, an MS in experimental psychology from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of North Carolina. I then chose to attend medical school at UNC and completed a residency in neurology at UCLA.  My clinical interest is in the care of patients with epilepsy.   
   
I helped found Braintalk.org, a collection of over 200 separate online support groups for individuals with neurologic disease. I am a member of a group formed by the late Dr. Tom Ferguson to promote participatory health care. I am a founding member of the Society of Participatory Medicine and its fledgling publication, the Journal of Participatory Medicine.  I am also a member of the American Academy of Neurology where I serve as an associate editor of AAN.COM, managing AAN.COM for patients and caregivers.

Publications1.    Herzog AG, Blum AS, Farina EL, Maestri XE, Newman J, Garcia E, Krishnamurthy KB, Hoch DB, Replansky S, Fowler KM, Smithson SD, Dworetzky BA, Bromfield EB. Valproate and lamotrigine level variation with menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive use. Neurology. 2009;72(10):911-4.
2.    Linton D, Senelly M, Baim M, Bello H, Millik MT, Watson AJ, Hoch DB. Translating medical practice from the real to the virtual: adapting an existing clinical program to a virtual world. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2008:1026.
3.    Watson AJ, Grant RW, Bello H, Hoch DB. Brave new worlds: how virtual environments can augment traditional care in the management of diabetes. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2008;2(4):697-702.
4.    Costello, D. Kilbride, R. Michaelides, C. Cash, S. Chiappa, K. Hoch, D. Cole, AJ. DE NOVO Cryptogenic Refractory Status Epilepticus- What is it? Epilepsia. 2007;48(s6):16.
5.    Shields DC, Costello DJ, Gale JT, Hoch DB, Eskandar EN. Stereotactic cortical resection in non-lesional extra-temporal partial epilepsy. Eur J Neurol. 2007;14(10):1186-8.
6.    B. Leeman, B. Moo, L. Leveroni, C. Cole, A. Schachter, S. Hoch, D. Associations of lamotrigine therapy with changes in cognition and interictal discharges: a pilot study in adults . Epilepsia. 2007.
7.    Hoch D, Ferguson T. What I've learned from E-patients. PLoS Med. 2005;2(8):e206.
8.    Costello, DJ; Hoch, DB, Chiappa, KH; Cosgrove, GR; COle, AJ. Surgery for epilepsy in the older patient-a plausible option. Epilepsia. 2005;46(Supplement 8):239.

Study supports using virtual environment to teach mind/body techniques

A small study from MGH researchers found that online virtual communities may be an effective way to train patients in meditation and other mind/body techniques. The ability to learn and practice approaches that elicit the relaxation response in a virtual environment could help surmount several barriers that can restrict participation.