Frank Buono, PhD

Frank D. Buono, PhD, is a Research Scientist with a primary appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and a secondary appointment in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. He is also Director of Clinical Research at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut. Dr. Buono earned his BS in psychology from Bradley University, then an MS in behavior analysis and therapy and a PhD in rehabilitation from Southern Illinois University. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Yale School of Medicine.

Dr. Buono’s research addresses the clinical needs of people living with rare diseases, especially neurofibromatosis (NF1 and NF2-related schwannomatosis) and schwannomatosis. In these conditions, small patient populations and variable disease courses make standard trial methods difficult to apply. A central focus of his work is chronic pain, one of the most common and disabling symptoms in these populations. He studies how pain is experienced, measured and treated, and he evaluates behavioral and multimodal approaches to pain management. He also develops and validates patient-reported outcome measures so that clinical trials can capture changes that matter to patients. This work has been supported by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs and the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

Dr. Buono also leads work on using artificial intelligence in clinical imaging. Through the Yale 3D Tumor Lab, he and his collaborators develop deep learning methods that automatically segment brain and nerve sheath tumors on MRI in three dimensions. These methods produce volumetric measurements that are more sensitive and reproducible than traditional linear measurements. The goal is to give clinicians and trial investigators a faster, more consistent way to track tumor growth over time and judge response to treatment, and to model how tumors are likely to change. This work received a Blavatnik Fund for Innovation award from Yale Ventures in 2024. Dr. Buono contributes to international efforts to standardize AI-based tumor measurement through the REiNS (Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis) International Collaboration.

A third line of his research examines complementary and alternative strategies that help patients make lasting behavior change, building on his training in behavior analysis and rehabilitation.

Dr. Buono serves on the executive boards of the NF Network and NF Northeast and on the REiNS International Collaboration Directors Council. He has also served as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Neurofibromatosis Research Program.