Dr. Judy Willis, a board-certified neurologist and middle school teacher in Santa Barbara, California, has combined her training in neuroscience and neuroimaging with her teacher education training and years of classroom experience. She has become an authority in the field of learning-centered brain research and classroom strategies derived from this research.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa as the first woman graduate of Williams College (in 1971), Willis attended UCLA School of Medicine, where she remained as a resident and ultimately became Chief Resident in Neurology. She practiced neurology for 15 years, and then received a credential and master's degree in education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has taught in elementary, middle, and graduate schools; was a fellow in the National Writing Project; and currently teaches at Santa Barbara Middle School.

Her first book, Research Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning, was published by ASCD in 2006, and her second book, Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion Classroom, followed in 2007. Willis gives presentations throughout the world about brain research-based learning strategies, and her articles have been published in a multitude of magazines, journals, and newspapers across the United States and internationally. She is a member of the Hawn Foundation board of directors, and she travels around the world with actress Goldie Hawn to make presentations about mindful teaching and learning.

Willis writes a weekly wine column, and along with her husband, Dr. Paul Willis, also a neurologist, makes prize-winning wine at home under the label Chateau Huit Feet, named in tribute to the eight feet of the Willis family that stomp the grapes. You can contact her at jwillisneuro@aol.com or visit her Web site at RADTeach.com.