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Benjamin Tolchin, MD, MS, FAAN (Neurology), FAES

Associate Professor of Neurology
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About

Titles

Associate Professor of Neurology

Biography

Dr. Tolchin is Director of the Center for Bioethics at Yale New Haven Health, and Associate Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine. His research focus is on the impact of crisis standards of care and triage protocols on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities. In addition, Dr. Tolchin has a clinical and research focus on functional neurological disorders and epilepsy. He investigates the use of motivational interviewing, smartphone apps, and other novel behavioral and technological interventions to improve treatment adherence and outcomes for patients.

Dr. Tolchin completed medical school at Harvard University, neurology residency at Columbia University Medical Center, and fellowships in medical ethics, clinical neurophysiology, and epilepsy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research has been recognized with Young Investigator Awards from the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society and the American Epilepsy Society, the Rebecca Goldberg Kaufman Honor from the American Epilepsy Society (AES), the Emerging Leaders Fellowship from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the OHER Award for Yale Research Excellence, and the Epilepsia Clinical Science Prize from the International League Against Epilepsy. Dr. Tolchin is President of the New England Epilepsy Society, and a Fellow of the AAN and of the AES. He serves on the AAN's Guidelines Subcommittee and Ethics, Law, and Humanities Committee.

Follow Dr. Tolchin on Twitter @btolchin.

Appointments

Education & Training

Epilepsy Fellowship
Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School (2017)
Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship
Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School (2015)
Neurology Residency
Columbia University Medical Center (2014)
Internship
New York University Medical Center (2011)
MD
Harvard Medical School (2010)
MS
Pace University School of Education (2003)
AB
Harvard College, Philosophy (2001)

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Bioethics; Biostatistics; Conversion Disorder; Epilepsy; Motivational Interviewing; Quality of Health Care; Quality of Life; Regression Analysis; Telemedicine

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Benjamin Tolchin's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

2021

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    American Academy of Neurology Guidelines Subcommittee

  • activity

    American Academy of Neurology Ethics, Law, and Humanities Committee

  • activity

    New England Epilepsy Society

  • honor

    Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society

  • honor

    OHER Award for Yale Research Excellence

Clinical Care

Overview

Benjamin Tolchin, MD, is a neurologist at Yale Medicine specializing in non-epileptic seizures, particularly psychogenic seizures. These seizures look similar to epileptic ones, but without the characteristic electrical discharges associated with epilepsy. They are usually triggered by an underlying psychological condition such as severe stress or past trauma.

Dr. Tolchin went to medical school at Harvard University and completed his fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During his residency, he developed an interest in non-epileptic seizures after seeing a patient who required a breathing tube and developed pneumonia as a result of receiving the wrong treatment.

Dr. Tolchin often sees patients referred to him from doctors who are having trouble diagnosing their seizures. He begins by determining what type of seizure the patient has by asking them numerous questions about their condition and what the seizure feels like to them. He then supplements this clinical diagnosis with a variety of tests and imaging, including videos of seizures and EEGs. “Teasing apart the different kinds of seizures and what the appropriate treatment is, is a large part of what I do,” he says.

After diagnosis, Dr. Tolchin helps patients, family and friends understand the condition and how best to manage it. “Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures can be very misunderstood,” he says. “Many people think it’s ‘all in your head,’ when it’s not.”

Once the diagnosis is made, Dr. Tolchin works with the patient and a mental health team to develop an effective treatment strategy, including anti-seizure medications for epileptic seizures, and/or psychotherapy for psychogenic seizures.

For Dr. Tolchin, being able to make a difference in his patients’ lives is the most rewarding part of his job. “When you see a life that was previously very limited suddenly blossom, that’s far and away the most important part of my work. That makes all the difference for me,” he says.

Clinical Specialties

Epilepsy & Seizures; Neurology

Board Certifications

  • Epilepsy

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Original Certification Date
    2016
  • Neurology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Original Certification Date
    2014

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