Skip to main content

Wesley Reece Cole, PhD, CBIS
Research Associate Professor
Neuropsychologist, THRIVE Program
Exercise and Sport Science, Matthew Gfeller Center

Department of Exercise and Sport Science
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599

(919) 962-0409
wescole@unc.edu

Wesley “Wes” Cole is a Research Associate Professor with the Matthew Gfeller Center in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also serves as a neuropsychologist for the Transforming Health and Resilience In Veterans (THRIVE) Program. Wes completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology from James Madison University in 2000. He obtained his masters (2003) and doctoral (2006) degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina. As part of his graduate training, he completed a pre- and postdoctoral training at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and former Chair of the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina.

Wes joined UNC and the THRIVE Program in 2022 after 13 years at Womack Army Medical Center on Fort Liberty (then Fort Bragg), where he served as a neuropsychologist, research lead, and chief of behavioral health services for the Intrepid Spirit Center. He has been the Principal Investigator for multiple TBI-related studies and has authored or co-authored numerous peer reviewed publications. He frequently presents at conferences and professional meetings on various topics related to brain injury. His primary research interests are with cognitive assessment and outcomes following concussion, autonomic nervous system dysregulation after concussion, return to duty assessment for military warfighters, and innovative treatments for postconcussive symptoms.