Dr. Stephen D. Curtis
Executive Director of Emotion Based Research

• Stephen Curtis, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist who practices in Bloomington, Indiana. He received his B.A. degree from Indiana University in 1972 and his doctorate in Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Kentucky in 1979. He completed Postdoctoral Fellowships in Developmental Neuroanatomy at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and Psychopharmacology at Indiana University. Dr. Curtis then completed his training in Clinical Psychology at Indiana University.
• After ten years of practicing as an Inpatient Specialist, Dr. Curtis started a private practice in Bloomington, Indiana, and quickly came to specialize in Performance Psychology. Since 1991 he has worked with athletic teams, musicians, businesspersons and companies on improving personal and group performance. He makes use of his knowledge of brain function and physiology to help individuals understand the importance of thoughts and emotions for personal performance, especially performance in demanding situations. He also calls on his knowledge of Clinical Psychology to introduce individuals to the psychodynamics of change and growth that are critical for improving both performance and overall life quality.
• Based on his biological perspectives on cognition, emotions and performance, Dr. Curtis has developed methods that individuals can use to reshape their thoughts and control their emotions more effectively in performance pressure situations. These methods have been used by many high school and college athletic teams and have directly contributed to teams that have won five high school state championships, fifteen Big Ten championships and one NCAA national championship (Pepperdine University Men's Golf, 1997).
• Dr. Curtis is currently a Visiting Professor at the Indiana University School of Music teaching Performance Psychology to both graduate and undergraduate students. His work with students and faculty has raised the consciousness of the school for the issues of performance skills and he has directly contributed to the careers of hundreds of students and faculty. He is currently preparing to teach his Applied Performance Psychology course to a worldwide audience through web-based instruction. This course, produced by the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies, will be available by September 2002.
• Dr. Curtis has 18 publications in refereed journals and edited volumes, 36 professional presentations, one videotape (Golf: The Mental Game, 1991), and one book (Building Brand Equity to Increase Customer Loyalty, Datamonitor, 2000). One recent presentation and publication (Society for Neuroscience, 1998 and Journal of the History of Neuroscience, 1999) focused on brain mechanisms that might give rise to the strong tendency of individuals to resist change (i.e., tendency to repeat behavior), especially under conditions of stress. He is currently preparing a CD-ROM textbook and web page to support the offering of his web-based course on Applied Performance Psychology through the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies.

Nanette Thompson Nicholson
Vice President of Operations

• Nanette runs the Brain Surgery operation and interacts with clients, programmers, analysts both in the U.S. and Western Europe.
• Has over ten years of solid marketing and research experience specializing in identifying client objectives and delivering business implications and recommendations. She is proficient in project management of various types of qualitative and quantitative research techniques as well as online and offline methodologies.
• Nanette has experience working in the advertising industry as well on the "Committee on International Relations" for the U.S. House of Representatives.
• She is involved in the following causes:
  Therapeutic Riding Program, Chastain Horse Park
  Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
  Vanderbilt Alumni Association, Atlanta Club President
  Junior League Member
  High Museum of Art, Junior Board Member