Joseph Neimat was raised in Washington, D.C. He attended Dartmouth College where he studied music and biochemistry. He then attended medical school at Duke University where he completed both his MD and a master's degree in neurobiology. Dr. Neimat completed his internship and residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital. During his residency he worked extensively with Drs. John Assad and Emad Eskandar to clarify the role of the basal ganglia in voluntary movement. Dr. Neimat is currently working with Dr. Andres Lozano at the University of Toronto. He has taken a particular interest in the role that the subthalamic nucleus, a principal target for DBS surgery, plays in the control of emotional affective states. This research may enlighten the less clearly defined emotional aspects of Parkinson' s disease and further a cohesive understanding of the basal ganglia's role in cognition.