2026 Melissa C. Duff: Psychology Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Neuroscience	43	7406	6830	3195	2886	165	7141
Psychology	43	7301	6809	3943	3584	156	7060

Overview

Melissa C. Duff is affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the United States. Their research spans multiple disciplines including neuroscience, medicine, and psychology, with a particular focus on cognitive neuroscience, epidemiology, and social as well as developmental and educational psychology.

The scientist's publication record includes contributions to several main fields of study: Neuroscience, Medicine, and Psychology. Within these, they have extensively addressed subfields such as Cognitive Neuroscience, Epidemiology, and General Health Professions. Their work often intersects topics like Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism, and Memory Processes and Influences.

Frequent publication venues demonstrate a focus on speech, language, neurological, and rehabilitation topics. These include:

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Neuropsychologia
Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Brain Injury

Melissa C. Duff often collaborates with several coauthors, highlighting multidisciplinary teamwork. Their frequent coauthors include Emily Morrow, Sharice Clough, Sarah Brown-Schmidt, Lyn S. Turkstra, and Bilge Mutlu.

The recent publications by Melissa C. Duff demonstrate a focus on memory, brain injury, and communication disorders as well as their neural underpinnings. Notable works include:

Semantic Memory and the Hippocampus: Revisiting, Reaffirming, and Extending the Reach of Their Critical Relationship, 2020, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
The Role of Gesture in Communication and Cognition: Implications for Understanding and Treating Neurogenic Communication Disorders, 2020, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Heterogeneity Is a Hallmark of Traumatic Brain Injury, Not a Limitation: A New Perspective on Study Design in Rehabilitation Research, 2021, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Disability and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury, 2021, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Sex and Gender Differences in Emotion Recognition and Theory of Mind After TBI: A Narrative Review and Directions for Future Research, 2020, Frontiers in Neurology

The main topics addressed in their publications cover:

Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Memory Processes and Influences
Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare
Hearing Impairment and Communication
Action Observation and Synchronization

Best Publications

The role of the hippocampus in flexible cognition and social behavior.

Rachael D Rubin;Patrick Dk Watson;Melissa C Duff;Neal J Cohen

500
Citations
The hippocampus and the flexible use and processing of language

Melissa C Duff;Sarah Brown-Schmidt

312
Citations
Hippocampal amnesia impairs all manner of relational memory.

Alex Konkel;David E. Warren;Melissa C. Duff;Daniel N. Tranel

271
Citations
Hippocampal amnesia disrupts creative thinking.

Melissa C. Duff;Jake Kurczek;Rachael Rubin;Neal J. Cohen

204
Citations
Semantic Memory and the Hippocampus: Revisiting, Reaffirming, and Extending the Reach of Their Critical Relationship.

Melissa C. Duff;Natalie V. Covington;Caitlin Hilverman;Neal J. Cohen

189
Citations
Differential contributions of hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex to self-projection and self-referential processing

Jake Kurczek;Emily Wechsler;Shreya Ahuja;Unni Jensen

178
Citations
Declarative memory is critical for sustained advantageous complex decision-making

Rupa Gupta;Melissa C. Duff;Natalie L. Denburg;Neal J. Cohen

173
Citations
Development of shared information in communication despite hippocampal amnesia.

Melissa C Duff;Julie Hengst;Daniel Tranel;Neal J Cohen

161
Citations
Damage to the default mode network disrupts autobiographical memory retrieval

Carissa L. Philippi;Daniel Tranel;Melissa Duff;David Rudrauf

158
Citations
Medial pfc damage abolishes the self-reference effect

Carissa L. Philippi;Melissa C. Duff;Natalie L. Denburg;Daniel Tranel

154
Citations
Prevalence of voice disorders in African American and European American preschoolers.

Melissa C. Duff;Adele Proctor;Ehud Yairi

152
Citations
Expanding the Language Network: Direct Contributions from the Hippocampus

Natalie V. Covington;Melissa C. Duff

142
Citations
Sustained experience of emotion after loss of memory in patients with amnesia

Justin S. Feinstein;Melissa C. Duff;Daniel Tranel

137
Citations
The Role of Gesture in Communication and Cognition: Implications for Understanding and Treating Neurogenic Communication Disorders.

Sharice Clough;Melissa C. Duff

123
Citations
Investigating the Neural Correlates of Schemas: Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Is Necessary for Normal Schematic Influence on Memory

Kelsey N. Spalding;Samuel H. Jones;Melissa C. Duff;Daniel Tranel

121
Citations
False Recall Is Reduced by Damage to the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for Understanding the Neural Correlates of Schematic Memory

David E. Warren;Samuel H. Jones;Melissa C. Duff;Daniel Tranel

117
Citations
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Is Necessary for Normal Associative Inference and Memory Integration.

Kelsey N. Spalding;Margaret L. Schlichting;Dagmar Zeithamova;Alison R. Preston

111
Citations
Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI): assessment and treatment procedures used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs)

Melissa C. Duff;Adele Proctor;Katarina Haley

111
Citations
Not so fast: Hippocampal amnesia slows word learning despite successful fast mapping

David E. Warren;Melissa C. Duff;Melissa C. Duff

111
Citations
Acute stress reduces speech fluency.

Tony W. Buchanan;Jacqueline S. Laures-Gore;Melissa C. Duff

107
Citations
The Necessity of the Hippocampus for Statistical Learning

Natalie V. Covington;Sarah Brown-Schmidt;Melissa C. Duff

98
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Daniel Tranel University of Iowa

Neal J. Cohen University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Lyn S. Turkstra McMaster University

Sarah Brown-Schmidt Vanderbilt University

Michelle W. Voss University of Iowa

Natalie L. Denburg University of Iowa

Tony W. Buchanan Saint Louis University

Ehud Yairi University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

David Rudrauf University of Geneva

Edward McAuley University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

External Links

Personal website of Melissa C. Duff

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Neuroscience, numerous online degrees and career options are available in related fields. Choosing a cost-effective and accessible educational path can help build foundational knowledge or facilitate specialization. For example, those seeking an entry point often consider the cheapest online bachelor's degree in psychology to explore the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Graduate studies open up even more professional avenues. If you are ready to advance further, there are several easiest msw programs to get into that can fast-track your path into social work—a domain frequently overlapping with neuroscience in mental health. Psychology professionals interested in clinical practice may look to psyd online programs, which prepare students for direct patient care roles.

For those drawn to therapy and counseling, marriage and family therapy programs online offer flexible, accredited options. These programs complement neuroscience backgrounds and prepare graduates for licensure and careers in clinical or counseling settings.