About

Susan R. McGurk, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and Professor of Occupational Therapy at Boston University, where she is also a member of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Her research has addressed the role of illness-related cognitive impairments in employment outcomes for persons with severe mental illness. She has developed the Thinking Skills for Work Program, a multi-component cognitive remediation program that combines computer practice of cognitive skills with the teaching of compensatory strategies to improve cognitive and work functioning in individuals receiving vocational rehabilitation services. Dr. McGurk has received several awards, including the NARSAD Young Investigator Award, the NARSAD Independent Investigator Award, the Rehabilitation Practitioner of Distinction Award by the National Rehabilitation Association, and the Gerard Hogarty Award for Excellence in Schizophrenia Research. Her research has been funded by NIMH, NIDRR, and NARSAD. She teaches courses in Rehabilitation Sciences and Behavior and Health at Boston University, and serves as an advisor for the Bachelor of Science in Behavior and Health program.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Environmental health
• Economic growth
• Geography
• Internal medicine
• Gerontology

Selected publications

• Wide Range Achievement Test word reading subtest score as an indicator of premorbid intellectual disability in serious mental illness

  Schizophrenia Research Cognition · 2025-08-05

  articleOpen access1st author

  Performance on reading tests is often used as an indicator of premorbid intellectual disability in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), but independent evidence validating their use is lacking. This study evaluated the accuracy of the Wide Range Achievement Test Word Reading Subtest in predicting history of intellectual disability in people with SMI. Participants were 105 people with SMI (62.8 % schizophrenia) with either a confirmed history of intellectual disability based on medical record review (Confirmed ID; n = 18) or no such history (No ID; n = 87). Participants were administered the WRAT-III Reading Subtest, the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery, and three other cognitive tests. A receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve was fit to identify the optimal cutoff score on the WRAT for correctly classifying the Confirmed ID and No ID groups. t -tests and effect sizes were used to compare the two groups on the WRAT and cognitive tests. The ROC curve indicated that a cutoff score of 70 or below on the WRAT correctly identified 88.9 % of individuals with Confirmed ID (sensitivity) and incorrectly identified 5.6 % of individuals with No ID (Specificity) ( p < .001). Performance on the cognitive battery was worse in the Confirmed ID group than No ID group, but the effect size for the WRAT was higher than any of the cognitive tests. A WRAT Word Reading Subtest score of ≤70 is a strong indicator of premorbid intellectual disability in people with SMI.

  PublisherDOI

• A randomized controlled trial protocol for evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and work outcomes of individualized placement and support adapted for autistic adults in the community

  Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications · 2025-08-20 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Relatively few autistic adults, including those with average intellectual abilities, are competitively employed, meaning that they hold jobs together with non-disabled workers and receive comparable wages and benefits. In California, for example, most autistic individuals served by the state are placed in programs where they participate in skill-building and socialization but not in actual competitive jobs. Failure to participate in the labor force can diminish autistic workers' sense of purpose, well-being, and ability to earn a living wage. Available research suggests that supported employment that assists autistic adults in finding and keeping jobs, produces the highest sustained competitive employment rates. Thus, our team has been investigating the Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) model, which has an extensive evidence base for increasing competitive employment rates in individuals with chronic mental illnesses. In a California Department of Developmental Services Employment Grant investigating adults with autism and intellectual disabilities, we demonstrated a competitive employment placement rate of 52 % using IPS. Components of IPS were appropriate for this population, however there were implementation challenges related to IPS model fit with the vocational support agencies. Based on focus groups and stakeholder input, we have adapted IPS to provide intensive agency training, leadership education, and record keeping support. Herein, we detail a protocol for a randomized controlled trial of the adapted model (IPS-AUT) to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and work outcomes. We also investigate potential moderators and mediators of treatment effectiveness to provide a foundation for a larger more adequately powered randomized clinical trial. This protocol is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06829264.

  PublisherDOI

• Introduction to the Special Issue: Recent Advances in Cognitive Remediation for Persons With Serious Mental Illness

  Behavior Modification · 2025-09-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Impaired cognitive functioning is a common feature of serious mental illness that contributes to worse psychosocial functioning and attenuated response to psychiatric rehabilitation. To address these impairments, cognitive remediation (i.e., interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive abilities such as attention and memory based on learning principles with the goal of improving psychosocial adjustment) has emerged in recent decades as a dynamic, rapidly evolving evidence-based practice. In this introduction we provide a summary of controlled research on the effects of cognitive remediation on cognitive and psychosocial functioning in people with serious mental illness, highlighting the results of three meta-analyses using similar methods conducted over 14 years. We next review different methods employed in cognitive remediation and summarize the recommendations of a consensus expert panel on the critical component of effective programs. We then highlight four papers in this special issue that illustrate the broad range of applications and research questions addressed in contemporary research on cognitive remediation. One paper examines the intriguing effects of combining cognitive remediation with aerobic exercise to improve psychotic symptoms in first episode psychosis, while a second one explores the feasibility of using cognitive remediation to enhance independent living skills training in people living in locked supervised residential settings awaiting discharge into the community. A third paper describes the processes involved in the cultural adaptation of a widely researched program for improving social cognition. The fourth paper considers what has been learned about the effects of cognitive remediation and tackles questions related to increasing its implementation and dissemination.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A dismantling study of comprehensive cognitive remediation for improving employment outcomes: what is the role of computer cognitive training?

  Psychological Medicine · 2025-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Comprehensive cognitive remediation improves cognitive and functional outcomes in people with serious mental illness, but the specific components required for effective programs are uncertain. The most common methods to improve cognition are facilitated computerized cognitive training with coaching and teaching cognitive self-management strategies. We compared these methods by dismantling the Thinking Skills for Work program, a comprehensive, validated cognitive remediation program that incorporates both strategies. METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial we assigned 203 unemployed people with serious mental illness in supported employment programs at two mental health agencies to receive either the full Thinking Skills for Work (TSW) program, which included computerized cognitive training (based on Cogpack software), or the program with cognitive self-management (CSM) but no computer training. Outcomes included employment, cognition, and mental health over 2 years. To benchmark outcomes, we also examined competitive work outcomes in a similar prior trial comparing the TSW program with supported employment only. RESULTS: The TSW and CSM groups improved significantly on all outcomes, but there were no differences between the groups. Competitive work outcomes for both groups resembled those of the TSW program in a prior trial and were better than the supported employment-only group in that study, suggesting that participants in both groups benefited from cognitive remediation. CONCLUSIONS: Providing facilitated computerized cognitive training improved neither employment nor cognitive outcomes beyond teaching cognitive self-management strategies in people receiving supported employment. Computerized cognitive training may not be necessary for cognitive remediation programs to improve cognitive and functional outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Dismantling Study of Comprehensive Cognitive Remediation for Improving Employment Outcomes: What is the Role of Computer Cognitive Training? – CORRIGENDUM

  Psychological Medicine · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Early Employment Outcomes in Autistic and Non-autistic Youth: Challenges and Opportunities

  Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · 2025-08-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Autistic youth often encounter significant barriers in securing employment, including difficulties with job acquisition, limited workplace support, and reduced access to structured employment services. This study examined early employment experiences in cognitively able autistic and non-autistic youth, with a focus on job characteristics and the associated factors of employment status. Participants included 99 individuals (51 autistic, 48 non-autistic) aged 18-23. Open-ended responses were coded to characterize first job experiences, including job setting, duration, hours worked, support received, sector, and job acquisition method. Group differences were assessed using chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of employment outcomes, including IQ, executive functioning, adaptive functioning, and education level. Results revealed notable differences between groups, with 67% of autistic participants having had a first work experience compared to 86% of non-autistic participants. When unpaid experiences (such as WorkAbility/internships) were excluded, this gap widened to 50% versus 78%. Autistic participants were significantly less likely to obtain jobs through competitive hiring and were more likely to work in sales/retail-related roles, whereas non-autistic participants exhibited greater job diversity and career-oriented positions. Personal connections were critical to job acquisition for autistic individuals, although structured employment programs were also a key pathway. Executive functioning difficulties were significantly associated with lower employment likelihood. Early employment disparities persist among autistic youth, particularly in access to competitive and career-track jobs. Interventions that support executive functioning, expand structured employment options, and leverage family and social networks may enhance employment success during the transition to adulthood.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Hybrid Type I Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol for Evaluating the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Work Outcomes of Individualized Placement and Support Adapted for Autistic Adults in the Community

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Cognitive Remediation to Facilitate Independent Living in Persons With Serious Mental Illness

  Behavior Modification · 2025-01-15 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Many people with serious mental illness (SMI) experience cognitive disabilities and poor independent living skills which limit their ability to live independently in the community. This study examined the feasibility and initial effectiveness of integrating a new cognitive remediation program, Thinking Skills for Life (TSL), into independent living skills training programs in four secure residential treatment facilities (SRTFs) to facilitate discharge to more independent living situations. Participants were 30 individuals in the SRTF, of whom 11 were forensically committed to the SRTF. Results showed the intervention was feasible to implement, with 97% of participants exposed to TSL and 67% completing the program. Initial promise of the TSL program at improving independent living was suggested by post cognitive program discharge to less restrictive living situations of 63% of participants not on forensic commitment, and 55% of those on forensic commitment. These promising findings set the stage for more rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of the TSL program.

  PublisherDOI

• Cognitive Functioning and Work in People With Severe Mental Illness Living in Urban and Rural Areas in India

  Schizophrenia Bulletin · 2025-11-05

  articleSenior author

  BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES: Evidence on the role of cognition in employment of people with severe mental illness (SMI) living in India and other developing countries is limited. This study examined the relationship between cognitive functioning and work in people with SMI living in urban and rural areas in India. STUDY DESIGN: Cognition (evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: MoCA) and vocational functioning were assessed in 340 persons with SMI (59% schizophrenia-schizoaffective) receiving private psychiatric outpatient treatment at two hospitals in western India. STUDY RESULTS: Participants with higher levels of cognitive functioning were more likely to be employed than those with lower levels, including both those living in urban and rural areas. Among employed participants, better cognitive functioning was associated with working at more complex and skilled jobs that paid higher wages. There were no differences in cognitive functioning between participants working for a family-run business (eg, a farm) vs. an independent employer, suggesting that families operating such businesses did not provide more work accommodations for cognitive impairment to their relatives with SMI than independent employers. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired cognitive functioning is an important predictor of unemployment in people with SMI in both rural and urban regions in India. Providing interventions for enhancing cognitive functioning may increase the ability of unemployed people with SMI in developing countries to work for both family-operated businesses and independent employers, thereby improving their economic standing and the welfare of their families.

  PublisherDOI

• Adapting individual placement and support for unemployed adults with autism spectrum disorder

  Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · 2025-01-09 · 4 citations

  article

  Background Employment benefits adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in many ways, yet unemployment remains high. Existing interventions use predominantly “train-place” methods, emphasizing pre-employment training before competitive employment. As an alternative, Individual Placement and Support is a “place-train” model, originally developed for people with serious mental illness, that is rapidly spreading to new populations, including adults with ASD. Adaptations to evidence-based interventions for new groups should receive scientific validation. Objective This article outlines the scientific steps to adapt Individual Placement and Support to serve the needs of adults with ASD. Methods The authors describe a scientific approach to developing, implementing, studying, and disseminating Individual Placement and Support to adults with ASD. Results A five-step approach to adapting Individual Placement and Support to adults with ASD includes 1) Involving stakeholders; 2) Examining available data from different perspectives; 3) Conducting a pilot study to establish acceptance, feasibility, proximal and distal outcomes, and adaptations; 4) Conducting comparative effectiveness research; 5) Translating research to policy. Conclusions Evidence-based interventions can transfer usefully to new populations and settings, but the process should follow scientific methods. As an example, this article describes a scientific process for adapting Individual Placement and Support to adults with ASD.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• A Dismantling Study of Cognitive Remediation for Supported Employment

  NIH · $4.1M · 2006–2019

Frequent coauthors

• Kim T. Mueser

  Boston University

  97 shared

• Philip D. Harvey

  54 shared

• Christopher R. Bowie

  38 shared

• Lisa A. Razzano

  Thresholds

  33 shared

• Morris D. Bell

  VA Connecticut Healthcare System

  31 shared

• Matthew J. Smith

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  30 shared

• Eugene Oulvey

  Illinois Department of Human Services

  29 shared

• Shannon Blajeski

  Portland State University

  27 shared

Labs

• Centers & LabsPI

Awards & honors

• National Alliance of Research in Schizophrenia and Depressio…
• Independent Investigator Award (2010-2012)
• 2004 Rehabilitation Practitioner of Distinction Award by the…
• 2007 Gerard Hogarty Award for Excellence in Schizophrenia Re…