David Desmond

Dr. David William Desmond is a neuropsychologist and writer. He is a grandson of the real estate developer Fred Trump; the son of Maryanne Trump Barry, who is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; and the nephew of Donald Trump. He lives in Palm Beach, Florida, and Paris, France.

Background

Desmond was born in New York City. After attending the Kew-Forest School in Forest Hills, New York, he received his A.B. in the Behavioral Sciences from the University of Chicago in 1982 and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University in 1990.

Career

He completed a fellowship in stroke and dementia under Thomas K. Tatemichi, M.D. at the Neurological Institute of New York of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and he became a member of the faculty of that institution and principal investigator of the Stroke and Aging Research Project, the largest prospective study of cognitive function in hospitalized stroke patients that has thus far been run, after Tatemichi's death. Desmond and his team published numerous widely cited articles on their findings, reporting that dementia was present in one-fourth of older patients three months after stroke,^[1] that incident dementia was common during long-term follow-up among stroke patients who were initially nondemented,^[2] and that dementia among stroke patients significantly increased their risk of both recurrent stroke and death.^[3] Their studies identified multiple clinical determinants of dementia after stroke, including the location and severity of the presenting stroke, vascular risk factors such as diabetes mellitus and prior stroke, and host characteristics such as older age, fewer years of education, and nonwhite race/ethnicity. Genetic factors were also relevant, particularly in CADASIL,^[4][5] and concomitant Alzheimer's disease played an etiologic role in approximately one-third of cases of dementia after stroke.

Writing

Desmond's first book, a satirical novel set in Palm Beach and Paris entitled The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury (ISBN 978-1-929774-56-2), was published by the Greenleaf Book Group. It received the Best Books Award (Humor) from USA Book News, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards ^[6] for Best General Fiction/Novel and First Novel as well as the Third Place Grand Prize for Fiction, and recognition as a finalist for the 2009 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in the Humor/Comedy/Satire category.

His second novel, Oliver Booth and the Evil Socialite (ISBN 978-0-615-77962-1), was released in 2013. It follows Oliver Booth from Palm Beach to New York, where he becomes involved in the world of high-end real estate.

Desmond also writes a weekly satirical column for the Palm Beach Daily News.

References

1. ↑ DW Desmond et al. Frequency and clinical determinants of dementia after ischemic stroke. Neurology 2000;54:1124-1131
2. ↑ DW Desmond et al. Incidence of dementia after ischemic stroke: Results of a longitudinal study. Stroke 2002:33:2254-2260
3. ↑ DW Desmond et al. Dementia as a predictor of adverse outcomes following stroke: An evaluation of diagnostic methods. Stroke 1998;29:69-74
4. ↑ DW Desmond et al. CADASIL in a North American family: Clinical, pathologic, and radiologic findings. Neurology 1998;51:844-849
5. ↑ DW Desmond et al. The natural history of CADASIL: A pooled analysis of previously published cases. Stroke 1999;30:1230-1233
6. ↑ "2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Grand Prize Winners". Retrieved 2010-11-22.