The Distinguished Service to the Profession of Psychology Award honors a Certified Specialist whose career represents outstanding contributions to psychology by way of research, professional publications, policy development and implementation, teaching, training, or advocacy for the profession.
ABPP is pleased to announce the 2026 award recipient:
David W. Loring, PhD, ABPP
David Loring is an ABPP board certified Clinical Neuropsychologist and Director of the Neuropsychology Section in the Department of Neurology at Emory University. His scholarship includes the definitive text on Wada testing and numerous peer reviewed studies establishing best practice Wada testing protocols now used worldwide. He has led the field in validating cognitive and behavioral measures as core outcomes for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of pharmacologic, surgical, and neuromodulatory interventions in the treatment of epilepsy, advancing the standard that treatment success must include cognitive and quality of life endpoints alongside seizure control.
He has provided sustained national and international leadership, shaping both research standards and professional practice. Elected President of the International Neuropsychological Society in recognition of his scholarly and applied contributions, Dr. Loring has also served as Chair of the NIH Epilepsy Neuropsychology Common Data Elements Committee and contributed to major initiatives within the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society. His editorial leadership as co-Editor-in-Chief of Neuropsychology Review and Associate Editor of Epilepsia has positioned psychology at the center of multidisciplinary clinical and translational neuroscience.
Dr. Loring has advanced access to care and clinical innovation through multiple federally supported and statewide programs. He is the lead neuropsychologist for the Georgia Memory Net, where he helped expand dementia diagnosis and treatment across Georgia and pioneer validated telehealth assessment approaches. He also serves as site neuropsychologist for the NIMH supported National Neuropsychology Network, which is creating evidence based standards for neuropsychological assessment. His development of telehealth tools, including the ABBA test, and scoring refinement of established measures such as the Rey Complex Figure, have reduced assessment burden while strengthening psychometric rigor.
Dr. Loring has supervised trainees at doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral levels, many of whom now have national and international leadership roles in academic and clinical neuropsychology settings. His books include Amobarbital Effects of Lateralized Brain Functon: The Wada Test, co-authorship with Muriel Lezak of the fourth edition of Neuropsychological Assessment, and editorship of the INS Dictionary of Neuropsychology and Clinical Neurosciences. Through mentorship, scholarship, and clinical leadership, his work continues to bridge psychology, neuroscience, and patient care.
