Susan is a Clinical Neuropsychologist at the Forbes Norris MDA/ALS Research Center in San Francisco. She has been a member of the multidisciplinary care team since 2000. Susan specializes in the assessment of cognitive and behavioral impairment in ALS, as well as evaluation of mood disorders and other mental health factors.  Susan developed the ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen™ (ALS-CBS), a rapid screening tool, now widely used, to detect cognitive change in patients with ALS.

In addition to her work in the Norris Center, she directed the Neuropsychological Training Program in the Psychiatry Department at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) from 2006-2011.  Susan completes neuropsychological evaluations for a variety of patients to diagnose dementia, memory loss, and head injury.  She also sees patients for pre-surgical transplant evaluations and psychiatric diagnosis.  Susan is an Adjunct Professor in the Neurology Department at Kansas University Medical Center. 

Recent Publications

Woolley, SC, Katz, JS.  Psychological Assessment and Support.  In R. Bedlack & H. Mitsumoto, Eds. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis:  A Patient Care Guide for Clinicians. 2012.  

Woolley, SC, Katz, JS.  Cognitive and Behavioral Impairment in ALS.  Phy Med Rehabil Clin N Am.  2008; 19: 607-617.

Katz, JS, Katzberg, H, Woolley, SC, Marklund, A, Andersen, PB. Combined Fulminant Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Associated with an I113T SOD1 mutation.  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Oct;13(6): 567-9. Epub 2012 Jun 7.

Woolley, SC, Katz, JS.  Review Article: Utility of the ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen.  Neurodegenerative Disease Management 2011; 1(6): 473-479.

Zhang Y, Schuff N, Woolley SC, Chiang GC, Boreta L, Laxamana J, Katz JS, Weiner MW.  Progression of white matter degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A diffusion tensor imaging study.  Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2011; 12(6):421-9.

Woolley, SC, Zhang, Y, Schuff, N, Weiner, MW, Katz, JS.  Neuroanatomical Correlates of Apathy in ALS Using 4 Tesla Diffusion Tensor MRI.  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2011; 12: 52-58.

Woolley, SC, York, MK, Moore, DH,  Strutt, AM, Murphy, J, Schulz, PE, Katz, JS. Detecting frontotemporal dysfunction in ALS: Utility of the ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS™).  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2010; 11(3): 303-311.

Woolley, SC., Moore, DH, Katz JS.  Insight in ALS:  Awareness of Behavioral Change in Patients with and without FTD.  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2010; 11(1-2): 52-56.

Miller, RG, Jackson, C., Kasarskis, EJ, England, JD, Forshew, DA, Johnston, W, Kalra, S, Katz, JS, Mitsumoto, H, Rosenfeld, J, Shoesmith, C, Strong, MJ, Woolley, SC. Practice Parameter update: The care of the patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Drug, nutritional, and respiratory therapies (an evidence-based review): Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology 2009; 73(15): 1218-1226.

Miller, RG, Jackson, C., Kasarskis, EJ, England, JD, Forshew, DA, Johnston, W, Kalra, S, Katz, JS, Mitsumoto, H, Rosenfeld, J, Shoesmith, C, Strong, MJ, Woolley, SC.  Practice Parameter update: The care of the patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Multidisciplinary care, symptom management, and cognitive/behavioral impairment (an evidence-based review): Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology 2009; 73(15): 1227-1233.

Strong, M., Grace, G., Freedman, M., Lomen-Hoerth, C., Woolley, SC., Goldstein, L., Murphy, J. Shoesmith, C., Rosenfeld, J., Leigh, N., Bruijn, L., Ince, P., Figlewicz, D.  Consensus criteria for the diagnosis of frontotemporal cognitive and behavioural syndromes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2009; 10(3): 131-146.

Recent Collaborations

  • Translation of the ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen into 4 languages other than English, and collaboration with several clinics in Europe and Australia.
  • NINDS Common Data Elements (CDE) Team:  ALS Workgroup 2010-2011

Profession Organizations

  • California Pacific Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry – Allied Health Practitioner Staff
  • American Psychological Association – Member, Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology)
  • Northern California Neuropsychology Forum – Professional Member
  • National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology – Professional Member, Neuropsychology
  • ABCN Candidate-Board Certification in Clinical Neuropsychology (ABPP) (final candidacy step 2013)
  • Western ALS Research Group (WALS) – Member
  • Steering Committee, International Research Workshop on Frontotemporal Dementia in ALS 2007, 2009, 2013

Education and License

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology

M.A. in Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology

B.A. with Distinction in Psychology, University of Virginia

California License PSY17907