Robert A. Nicholson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Neurology and Psychiatry 1438 S. Grand St. Louis, MO 63104 nicholra@slu.edu

Robert A. Nicholson, PhD, obtained his bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University and earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology (specializing in Behavioral Medicine) at Virginia Commonwealth University including training at the Medical College of Virginia.  He completed a pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral research fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University Medical School.

He joined the faculty of Saint Louis University in the Dept. of Family & Community Medicine in 2003. In August 2008, he joined the faculty in the Department of Neurology & Psychiatry. He also holds an adjunct appointment in the School of Public Health.  Dr. Nicholson’s primary focus is the area of migraine headache management and prevention.  His main research focuses on ways to incorporate behavioral self-management into ongoing migraine care using advanced communication technologies.  He is also interested in creating maximally effective patient communication strategies for the prevention and management of migraine, the influence of cognitive and affective factors in managing migraines (especially as it relates to headache-related disability), improving headache-related disability metrics, and the influence of formulary and cost limitations on migraine management.       He is also a research psychologist/consultant with St. John’s Mercy Health Research and the Ryan Headache Center in St. Louis. He works with the research team to develop, implement, analyze, and publish investigator-initiated research in the prevention and acute management of headaches. He also contributes to ongoing clinical trials in areas including migraine, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Dr. Nicholson is also an active research collaborator with the Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research housed in the Health Communications Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis focusing on developing maximally effective communication strategies in cancer prevention. He has received multiple grants from the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, the National Cancer Institute, the National Headache Foundation, and Saint Louis University to support his research. He has also received multiple awards throughout his career from local and national organizations.Dr. Nicholson has over 30 peer-reviewed research papers in the published literature and more than 50 research presentations at scientific and professional conferences. He is also actively involved in national organizations, with membership in the American Headache Society, National Headache Foundation, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the American Psychological Association. He is currently chair of the behavioral interest section within the American Headache Society.  He also has served as a consultant/advisor for multiple public and private institutions and speaks locally and nationally about headache management.