Bio
Dr. Brenda Kirkby joined St. George’s University (SGU) in Grenada in 2009 as a Professor of Behavioral Sciences. She has held several leadership roles, including Assistant Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Basic Sciences.
In 2021, she was appointed Associate Dean of Accreditation for the School of Medicine, and in early 2022, she became Chair of the Department of Physiology, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Sciences.
Dr. Kirkby has taught behavioral sciences for the past 30 years to medical students in their basic sciences phase of training. She is widely recognized for delivering engaging, energetic lectures that make complex behavioral science concepts clear and relevant. Her teaching draws on real-world examples and practical application to support learning in medicine and beyond.
Her approach to teaching and leadership within the School of Medicine is shaped by decades of experience in the classroom and by her academic background.
Professional Philosophy
Dr. Kirkby believes that effective teaching is grounded in a coherent narrative and in showing students how to think through material rather than simply memorize it. Her lectures are delivered as a connected story and include demonstrations of how to approach concepts and problems, using clear explanation and real-world examples to bring material to life. This approach fosters curiosity and meaningful application of behavioral sciences across professional and personal contexts.
Academic Degrees
- PhD in Neuropsychology, University of Victoria, Department of Psychology, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Predoctoral internship in clinical psychology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, completed at University Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona
- Predoctoral research fellowship, National Institute of Mental Health, Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, Unit on Positron Emission Tomography
- MSc in Neuropsychology, University of Victoria, Department of Psychology, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Course Teachings
- Behavioral Sciences: 2009-present: St. George’s University School of Medicine 1999-2008: Sint Eustatius School of Medicine 1997-1998: Saba University School of Medicine
- Medical and Legal Ethics: 1999-2008: Sint Eustatius School of Medicine 1997-1998: Saba University School of Medicine
Institutional Services & Committees
- Chair, SOM Learning Environment Committee
- Chair, SOM Quality Assurance and Improvement Oversight Group
- Chair, SOM Educational Resources Planning Group
- Chair, Basic Sciences Faculty Panel on Academic Professionalism
- Member, St. George’s University Institutional Review Board
Academic Appointments
- Professor of Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, 2009 to present
- Associate Dean of Accreditation and Quality Assurance, School of Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, 2021 to present
- Chair, Department of Physiology, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Sciences, St. George’s University, Grenada, 2022 to present
Journal Articles
- Gourovitch M.L., Kirkby B.S., Goldberg T.E., Weinberger D.R., Gold J.M., Esposito G., Van Horn J.D., and Berman K.F. (2000). A comparison of rCBF patterns during phonological and semantic fluency. Neuropsychology, 14:353-360.
- Esposito, G., Kirkby, B.S., Van Horn, J.D., Ellmore, T.M., & Berman, K.F. (1999). Context-dependent, neural system-specific neurophysiological correlates of aging: Mapping PET correlates during cognitive activation. Brain, 122, 963-979.
- Kirkby, B.S., Van Horn, J.D., Ostrem, J.L., Weinberger, D.R., & Berman, K.F. (1996). Cognitive activation during PET: A case study of monozygotic twins discordant for closed head injury. Neuropsychologia, 34(7), 689-697.
- Ramsey, N.F., Kirkby, B.S., van Gelderen, P., Berman, K.F., Duyn, J.H., Frank, J.A., Mattay, V.S., Van Horn, J.D., Esposito, G., Moonen, C.T.W. & Weinberger, D.R. (1996). Functional mapping of human sensorimotor cortex with 3D BOLD fMRI correlates highly with H215O PET rCBF. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 16(5), 755-764.
- Kirkby, B.S., Berman, K.F., & Weinberger, D.R. (1995). Neurodevelopment and Schizophrenia: The Contribution of Functional Brain Imaging. In J.L. Waddington and P.F. Buckley (Eds.), The Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis of Schizophrenia. R.G. Landes: Texas. Graves, R. E. & Jones, B.S. (1992). Conscious visual awareness vs. non-conscious localization examined with normal subjects using possible analogues of blindsight and visual neglect. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 9(6), 487-508.
Reviewer/Editorships
- Content Reviewer for High Yield Behavioral Science (Fadem), 5th edition (2013)
- Content Reviewer for Behavioral Science in Medicine (Fadem), 2nd edition (2012)
Dissertations
- Cognitive activation during PET: A case study of monozygotic twins discordant for closed head injury This PhD dissertation used positron emission tomography (PET) to examine patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during cognitive task performance in an individual with frontal lobe injury compared with an uninjured identical twin, within the context of normative rCBF data from multiple uninjured monozygotic twin pairs.
fun Fact
Outside of the university, she enjoys nature photography, travel, scuba diving, and flying small aircraft.