Cognition Expert Witnesses

Geriatrics, Physical Therapy - Aging, Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias, Falls, Exercise, Functional Assessment and Evaluation, Plan of Care Development, Geriatric Rehabilitation, Memory Care, Nursing Home, Skilled Nursing, Home Health, Outpatient, Cognition, Psychosocial Well-Being, Geriatric Physical Therapy

Nicole Dawson, PT, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy of the College of Health Professions and Sciences at the University of Central Florida and Director of the ALIVE (Aging & Longevity Initiatives for Vitality & Enrichment) Lab at UCF. Dr. Dawson is a Board Certified Geriatric Physical Therapist Emeritus with over 20 years of clinical experience along with a PhD in Adult Development & Aging Psychology from Cleveland State University. She has been recognized for excellence in her field by the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy through receipt of the Distinguished Educator Award, the American Physical Therapy Association being awarded the Margaret L. Moore Outstanding New Academic Faculty Award, and the University of Central Florida with the Teaching Incentive Program Award. Her current area of research includes developing non-pharmacological interventions to improve functional and psychosocial outcomes in older adults with chronic disease includin...

Human Factors, Pharmacology - brain, memory, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, memory failure, forgotten baby syndrome, amnesia, trauma, heatstroke, automobile-related fatality, cognition, traumatic brain injury, negligence, decision-making

I am a professor in the Department of Psychology, Cognitive, Neural and Social Division, at the University of South Florida. I have been studying the brain and memory for over 40 years, and I have served as an expert witness on memory-related cases for the past 15 years. In one area of expertise, I have studied how parents and caretakers, without evidence of abuse or neglect of children, unintentionally and unknowingly, forget children in cars. Under conditions in which the ambient temperature is warm enough and the car is exposed to direct sunlight, heat builds within the car and the child may die or become brain damaged as a result of heatstroke. I have testified as a memory expert in cases in which these parents and caretakers have been charged with civil and criminal crimes, including manslaughter. In a related area of expertise, I recently retired as a career scientist in the Department of Veterans Affairs, with 30 years of research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I ...