
Argye Elizabeth Hillis, MD
Vascular Neurology
Highlights
Johns Hopkins Affiliations:
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Argye Elizabeth Hillis
Professional Titles
- Director, Center of Excellence in Stroke Detection and Diagnosis, Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute
- Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute Professor of Acute Stroke Diagnoses and Management
- Director, Cerebrovascular Division of Neurology
- Executive Vice Chair, Department of Neurology
Primary Academic Title
Professor of Neurology
Background
Dr. Argye Hillis is a professor of Neurology, with joint faculty appointments in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and in Cognitive Science. She is also the Sheikh Khalifa Stroke Institute Professor of Acute Stroke Diagnoses and Management.
Prior to medical training and neurology residency, Dr. Hillis worked as a speech-language pathologist, and conducted clinical research focusing on understanding and treating aphasia and hemispatial neglect. She has brought these areas of experience to impact on her clinical research in neurology, which involves cognitive and neuroimaging studies of aphasia and hemispatial neglect due to acute stroke and focal dementias. She has published extensively on these topics in journals and textbooks.
Dr. Hillis is Associate Editor of Stroke and has served as Associate editor of Brain, Annals of Neurology, Aphasiology, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Neurocase, Cognitive Neuropsychology, and Language and Cognitive Processes and served as co-Editor and Chief of Behavioral Neurology.
Dr. Hillis serves as the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Neurology and the Director of the Cerebrovascular Division of Neurology at Johns Hopkins.
Centers and Institutes
Videos
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
Argye Hillis Among Stoke Researchers Awarded $11 Million NIH Grant Press Release (4/20/16)
Dealing with the emotional aspects of stroke rehab, Philadelphia Inquirer (04/13/2014)
Why You Get the Joke: Brain's Sarcasm Center Found, Live Science
Additional Academic Titles
Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Research Interests
Cognitive Deficits and Recovery after Right Hemisphere Stroke, Language Recovery After Stroke, Stroke Cognitive Outcome and Recovery (SCORE)
Lab Website
S.C.O.R.E. Lab - Lab Website
- The mission of the Stroke Cognitive Outcomes and Recovery (S.C.O.R.E.) Lab is to enhance knowledge of brain mechanisms that allow people recover language, empathy, and other cognitive and communicative functions after stroke, and to improve ways to facilitate recovery of these functions after stroke. We also seek to improve the understanding of neurobiology of primary progressive aphasia., and how to enhance communication in people with this group of clinical syndromes.
Research Summary
Following a stroke, an individual may experience speech, language, cognitive, or emotional problems. Dr. Hillis’ current research aims to improve the understanding of how language and other cognitive functions are represented and carried out in the brain, how they recover after injury, and how understanding these processes can contribute to evaluation and treatment of stroke and dementia. Specifically, current research studies include the following:
- Stroke Cognitive Outcome and Recovery (SCORE)
- Language Recovery After Stroke
- Cognitive Deficits and Recovery after Right Hemisphere Stroke
Dr. Hillis' current research combines longitudinal task-related and task-free functional imaging and structural imaging from the acute stage of stroke through the first year of recovery, with detailed cognitive and language assessments to improve our understanding how language and other cognitive functions recover after stroke. Her other avenue of research involves novel treatment studies and longitudinal imaging and language studies of Primary Progressive Aphasia. She has published extensively on these topics in journals and textbooks.
Selected Publications
- SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (from >150 total)
Hillis, A.E. (1989). Efficacy and generalization of treatment for aphasic naming errors. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 70, 632-636.
Caramazza, A. & Hillis, A.E. (1991). Lexical organization of nouns and verbs in the brain. Nature, 349,788-90.
Hillis, A.E. & Caramazza, A. (1991). Category-specific naming and comprehension impairment: A double dissociation. Brain, 114, 2081-2094.
Hillis, A.E. & Caramazza, A. (1995). Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying visual and semantic processing. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 7, 457-478.
Hillis, A.E. & Caramazza, A. (1995). The representation of grammatical categories of words in the brain. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 7, 396-407.
Hillis, A.E., Boatman, D., Hart, J. & Gordon, B. (1999). Making sense out of jargon: a neurolinguistic and computational account of jargon aphasia. Neurology, 53, 1813-1824.
Hillis, A.E., Wityk, R.J., Tuffiash, E., Beauchamp, N.J., Jacobs, M.A., Barker, P.B., Selnes, O.A. (2001). Hypoperfusion of Wernickes area predicts severity of semantic deficit in acute stroke. Annals of Neurology, 50, 561-566.
Hillis, A.E., Wityk, R.J., Barker, P.B., Beauchamp, N.J., Gailloud, P., Murphy, K., Cooper, O., Metter, E.J. (2002). Subcortical aphasia and neglect in acute stroke: the role of cortical hypoperfusion, Brain,125, 1094-1104.
Hillis, A.E., Tuffiash, E. & Caramazza, A. (2002). Modality specific deterioration in oral naming of verbs. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14, 1099-1108.
Hillis, A.E., Wityk, R., Barker, P.B., Caramazza, A. (2003). Neural regions essential for writing verbs. Nature Neuroscience, 6, 19-20.
Hillis, A.E., Oh, S., Ken, L. (2004). Deterioration of naming nouns versus verbs in primary progressive aphasia. Annals of Neurology, 55, 268-275.
Hillis, A.E., Work, M., Breese, E.L., Barker, P.B., Jacobs, M.A. & Maurer, K. (2004). Re-examining the brain regions crucial for orchestrating speech articulation. Brain, 127, 1479-1487.
Hillis, A.E., Newhart, M., Heidler, J., Barker, P.B., Herskovits, E., and Degaonkar, M. (2005). The roles of the visual word form area in reading. NeuroImage, 24, 548-559.
Reineck, L., Agarwal, S. & Hillis, A.E. (2005). The diffusion-clinical mismatch predicts early language recovery in acute stroke. Neurology, 64, 828-833.
Hillis, A.E., Newhart, M., Heidler, J., Barker, P.B., Degaonkar, M. (2005). Anatomy of spatial attention: insights from perfusion imaging and hemispatial neglect in acute stroke. Journal of Neuroscience, 25, 3161-7.
Charles, R. & Hillis, A.E. (2005). Posterior Cortical Atrophy: clinical presentation and cognitive deficits compared to Alzheimers Disease. Behavioural Neurology, 16, 15-23.
Hillis, A.E., Heidler-Gary, J., Newhart, M., Chang, S., Ken, L. & Bak, T. (2006). Naming and comprehension in primary progressive aphasia: the influence of grammatical word class. Aphasiology, 20, 246-256.
Newhart, M., Ken, L., Kleinman, J.T., Heidler-Gary, J., & Hillis, A.E. (2007). Neural networks essential for naming and word comprehension. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, 20, 25-30.
DeLeon, J., Gottesman, R.F., Kleinman, J.T., Newhart, M., Davis, C., Lee, A., Hillis, A.E. (2007) Neural regions essential for distinct cognitive processes underlying picture naming. Brain, 130, 1408-22.
Heidler-Gary, J. & Hillis, A.E. (2007). Distinctions between the dementia in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with Frontotemporal Dementia and the dementia of Alzheimer''s Disease. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Philipose, L.E., Gottesman, R.F., Newhart, M.; Kleinman, J.T.; Herskovits, E.H.; Pawlak, M.A., Marsh, E.B.; Davis, C.; Heidler-Gary, J.; Hillis, A.E. (2008). Neural regions essential for reading and spelling of words and pseudowords. Annals of Neurology. 481-492.
Cloutman, L., Gottesman, R., Chaudhry, P., Davis, C., Kleinman, J.T., Pawlak, M., Herskovits, E.H., Kannan, V., Lee, A., Newhart, M., Heidler-Gary, J., Hillis, A.E. (2008)Where (in the brain) do semantic errors come from? Cortex. [Epub ahead of print]
Medina, J., Kannan, V., Pawlak, M., Kleinman, J.T., Newhart, M., Davis, C., Heidler-Gary J.E., Herskovits,
E.H., Hillis, A.E. (2008) Neural substrates of visuospatial processing in distinct reference frames: evidence from unilateral spatial neglect. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. [Epub ahead of print].
Cloutman, L., Gingis, L., Newhart, M., Davis, C., Heidler-Gary, J., Crinion, J., Hillis, A.E. (in press). A neural
network critical for spelling. Annals of Neurology.
Honors
- Alpha Omega Alpha
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Research Fellow, National Stroke Association
- Fellow, American Heart Association
- Fellow, American Stroke Association
- Derek Denny-Brown Neurological Scholar Award, American Neurological Association
- Norman Geschwind Award in Behavioral Neurology, American Academy of Neurology
- Baltimore Top Docs 2015, Baltimore Magazine, 1/1/15
- Best Doctors in America, 1/1/14
Memberships
- Academy of Aphasia
- American Academy of Neurology, Section on Behavioral Neurology
- American Heart Association Stroke Council, Fellow;Abstract Reviewer for the International Stroke Conference (2003-2007); Scientific Session Chair, 2005, 2006
- American Neurological Association, Scientific Program Committee (2004-2006)
- Clinical Aphasiology Conference, Program committee 1985, 1992; Program Chair 2003; Conference Chair 2004; Steering Committee (2003-present)
- Faculty 1000 Medicine, Evaluation Board
- Society for Neuroscience
- World Federation of Neurology- Research Group on Aphasia and Cognitive Disorders, Chair, 2004-2008
- American Speech Language Association,
Advances in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia
Locations
- Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
- 601 North Caroline Street, Floor 5, Baltimore, MD 21287
- phone: 410-955-9441
- fax: 410-955-6402
- Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center - Green Spring Station, Lutherville
- 10753 Falls Road, Pavilion II STE 115, Lutherville, MD 21093
- phone: 410-955-9441
- fax: 410-616-7231
Expertise
Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Residency, Neurology, 1999Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Medical Education, Medicine, MD, 1995Board Certifications
Neurology
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2022Insurance
- Aetna
- CareFirst
- Cigna
- First Health
- Geisinger Health Plan
- HealthSmart/Accel
- Humana
- Johns Hopkins Health Plans
- MultiPlan
- Pennsylvania's Preferred Health Networks (PPHN)
- Point Comfort Underwriters
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- UnitedHealthcare
- Veteran Affairs Community Care Network (Optum-VACCN)
Ratings & Reviews
4.9 out of 5
66 ratings, 35 reviewsThe Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/28/2025
Very good
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/16/2025
Excellent care and provided all instructions to take good care my health so can improve it and be healthy
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/14/2025
Excellent
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/9/2025
Dr Hillis was amazing. She was very knowledgeable and she listened and explained everything with great detail and care. She took her time to listen to our concerns. I can't say enough great things about her and our visit.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 2/8/2025
Dr. Hillis was fantastic.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 12/11/2024
Dr Hillis was very knowledgeable and informative to our diagnosis
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 12/6/2024
Dr Hillis was very kind and attentive to my wife's needs. She also answered all questions and allowed our daughter to listen and participate remotely. Though my wife's condition can not be reversed Dr Hillis was very understanding and thoughtful to my wife, our daughter and me.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 11/17/2024
Dr Hillis is a rare doctor who will listen to your concerns and make sure to address any and all questions. I appreciate all the time she has taken with me and her expertise.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 10/28/2024
This provider was excellent!!!!
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 10/18/2024
Dr. Hillis is always sympathetic, asks questions and listens.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 10/18/2024
Kind& professional
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 10/9/2024
I am grateful
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 10/4/2024
Dr. Hillis spends so much time with her patients and she listens with compassion and respect.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/27/2024
She is attentive, knowledgeable, & compassionate. I appreciate her attention to detail.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/23/2024
My provider was very patient and listen to me.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 9/4/2024
D.Hillis is vey kind and understanding about my aphasia
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 8/27/2024
Dr. Hillis was patient, caring and an expert in her field.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 8/21/2024
Argye Hillis MD is superbly trained and uncommonly responsive. I thank her for expedited and thoughtful appointment.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 8/13/2024
Dr. Argye Hillis was an outstanding professional and so kind to me and generous with her time.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 8/5/2024
Dr Argye Hillis is exceptional. She is thorough, caring, excellent in keeping me stroke free. [Staff] is a wonderful guide in scheduling and follow-up.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/25/2024
Great doctor, warm personality, extremely kind
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/24/2024
Super good.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/22/2024
Nice, pleasant, concerning and patient, Smart, bright, filled with knowledge, concerning, give good advice, had a few more questions for her that I forgot to ask
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/17/2024
Dr. Hillis is always very kind and answered all my questions.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/3/2024
The doctor was very kind and listened to my concerns.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 7/1/2024
Dr Hillis is great
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/28/2024
Very good
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/8/2024
Knowledgeable, & Friendly
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 6/6/2024
Dr, Hillis was fabulous!
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/24/2024
She was very easy to talk to. Very friendly, nice & pleasant. Extremely knowledgeable In Neurology. I felt at ease In her care.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/24/2024
She is an expert in her field.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/14/2024
Very easy to talk to
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 5/10/2024
Dr. Hillis was wonderful. Easy discussions and direct responses to questions.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 4/28/2024
Dr. Hillis is exceptional. I have had great physicians and she is still a cut above the rest.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 4/23/2024
Dr. Hillis was very thorough and a good listener. She was patient while waiting for my responses.