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Spencer W. Liebel
( out of 16 reviews )

Spencer W. Liebel, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Spencer W. Liebel, PhD, is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) and Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He is also a faculty member of the Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center in the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Liebel’s research and clinical interests center on traumatic brain injury broadly and sport-related concussion more specifically. He is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society and Sports Neuropsychology Society and actively serves as a research and clinical mentor for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in neuropsychology and sport-related concussion.

Patient Rating

Patients consistently describe Dr. Liebel as caring, professional, and knowledgeable. They highlight clear, in-depth explanations and thorough answers that make them feel heard and comfortable. Reviewers also praise his responsiveness, patience, respectful manner, and positive interactions with his staff and clinic process.

Generated via Patient Reviews

4.7 /5
( out of 16 reviews )

The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers. The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.


Mar 05, 2026
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

Patient, compassionate, responsive, thorough, and clear.

Jan 24, 2026
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

Great feedback.

Nov 20, 2025
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

This doctor is very caring and a great listener. He does a very good job explaining things.

Nov 09, 2025
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

Dr Liebel took the time and effort to make our experience pleasant. We were treated with respect as he explained the process and addressed our concerns and expectations. We would highly recommend him.

Aug 17, 2025
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He is very knowledgeable about what he's doing.

May 11, 2025
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

Appreciated his clear but in-depth explanations. He truly listened.

Jul 14, 2024
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

Thank you for your help, kindness and professionalism Dr. Liebel. You and your staff were amazing!!!

Jan 31, 2024
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He was caring and professional and knowledgeable.

Jan 29, 2024
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He seems both knowledgeable and caring individual.

Nov 01, 2023
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He was informative and put us at our ease.

Apr 15, 2023
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He was nice and explain everything really good to me.

Mar 23, 2023
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He was very kind, professional, and straightforward. He explained everything very well, and was very respectful when asking potentially sensitive questions.

Mar 16, 2023
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

He was very patient with me and understanding and I appreciate that.

Mar 13, 2023
EXTERNAL SITE

Spencer is an incredible Doctor. Made me feel very comfortable and safe about my health. Answered all of my questions about my concerns and my health.

Jan 04, 2023
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

Honestly he us blunt! Not a problem with me I like it that way but he could make people feel like he doesn't care! Works great with my way if doing things don't waste candy on a turd!


Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

Spencer W. Liebel, PhD, is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) and Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He is also a faculty member of the Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Center in the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Liebel’s research and clinical interests center on traumatic brain injury broadly and sport-related concussion more specifically. He is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society and Sports Neuropsychology Society and actively serves as a research and clinical mentor for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in neuropsychology and sport-related concussion.

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation -Adjunct Assistant Professor
Neurology -Assistant Professor
Orthopaedics -Adjunct Assistant Professor

Education history

Undergraduate Psychology; Spanish minor - Brigham Young University B.S.
Graduate Training Psychology - University of Georgia M.S.
Doctoral Training Clinical Psychology; neuropsychology major area of study - University of Georgia Ph.D.
Internship Clinical Psychology; neuropsychology major area of study - Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center Intern
Postdoctoral Fellowship Neuropsychology - Michigan Medicine, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System Consortium in Clinical Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Caeyenberghs K, Imms P, Irimia A, Monti MM, Esopenko C, de Souza NL. . .Liebel SW. . . Hillary F (2024). ENIGMA’s simple seven: Recommendations to enhance the reproducibility of resting-state fMRI in traumatic brain injury. NeuroImage. Clinical, 42(103585),
  2. Johnson PK, Fino PC, Wilde EA, Hovenden ES, Russell HA, Velez C, . . . Liebel SW, . . . Tate D (2024). The effect of intranasal plus transcranial photobiomodulation on neuromuscular control in individuals with repetitive head acceleration events. Photobiomodulation, photomedicine, and laser surgery,
  3. Liebel SW, Turner CG, Svirsko AC, Garcia G-GP, Pasquina PF, McAllister TW, McCrea MA, Broglio S (2023). Temporal network architectures of neurocognitive functioning and psychological symptoms in collegiate athletes following concussion. Journal of neurotrauma, 40(15-16), 1684-1693.
  4. Broglio SP, Liebel SW, Zhou W, Li C, Pasquina P, McAllister TW, McCrea MA, Jaroslaw (2023). Time to recovery as measured on clinical assessments after sport-related concussion. New England Journal of Medicine (International Edition), 388(18), 1717-1719.
  5. Garcia G-GP, Czerniak LL, Lavieri MS, Liebel SW, Van Pelt KL, Pasquina PF, McAllister TW, McCrea MA, Broglio S (2023). Estimating the relationship between the symptom-free waiting period and injury rates after return-to-play from concussion: A simulation analysis using CARE Consortium data. Sports Medicine, 53, 2513-2528.
  6. Liebel SW, Van Pelt KL, Pasquina PF, McAllister TW, McCrea MA, Broglio S (2023). Sport-specific recovery trajectories for NCAA collegiate athletes following concussion. Annals of biomedical engineering,
  7. Garcia, G-GP, Czerniak, LL, Lavieri, MS, Liebel, SW, McCrea, MA, McAllister, TW, Pasquina, PF, Broglio, SP, & CARE Consortium Investigator (2022). Simulation-optimization to distinguish optimal symptom-free waiting period for return-to-play decisions in sport-related concussion. Proceedings of the ... Winter Simulation Conference. Winter Simulation Conference,
  8. Czerniak, LL, Liebel, SW, Zhou, H, Garcia, G-GP, Lavieri, MS, McCrea, MA, McAllister, TW, & Broglio, S (2022). Sensitivity and specificity of the ImPACT neurocognitive test in collegiate athletes and United States military cadets with ADHD and/or LD with sport-related concussion: Findings from the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium. Sports Medicine,
  9. Fruehauf LM, Fair JE, Liebel SW, Bjornn D, Larson MJ (2021). Cognitive control in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): Proactive control adjustments or consistent performance? Psychiatry Res, 298, 113809.
  10. Czerniak LL, Liebel SW, Garcia GP, Lavieri MS, McCrea MA, McAllister TW, Broglio SP, CARE Consortium Investigators. (2021). Sensitivity and Specificity of Computer-Based Neurocognitive Tests in Sport-Related Concussion: Findings from the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium. Sports Med, 51(2), 351-365.
  11. Liebel SW, Edwards KAM, Broglio SP (2021). Sensation-Seeking and Impulsivity in Athletes with Sport-Related Concussion. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 23(4), 15.
  12. Shepard SJ, Chesney SA, Larsen SE, Fuller S, Liebel SW (2021). Program evaluation of an integrated approach to group CPT in VA residential treatment. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma.
  13. Liebel SW, Van Pelt KL, Garcia G-GP, Czerniak LL, McCrea MA, McAllister TW, Broglio SP, On Behalf Of The Care Consortium Investigators (2020). The Relationship between Sport-Related Concussion and Sensation-Seeking. Int J Mol Sci, 21(23).
  14. Hallowell ES, Oshri A, Liebel SW, Liu S, Duda B, Clark US, Sweet LH (2019). The Mediating Role of Neural Activity on the Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Impulsivity. Child Maltreat, 24(4), 389-399.
  15. Jones EC, Liebel SW, Hallowell ES, Sweet LH (2019). Insula thickness asymmetry relates to risk of major depressive disorder in middle-aged to older adults. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging, 283, 113-117.
  16. Nelson JM, Liebel SW (2018). Anxiety and depression among college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Cross-informant, sex, and subtype differences. J Am Coll Health, 66(2), 123-132.
  17. Nelson JM, Liebel SW (2018). Socially Desirable Responding and College Students with Dyslexia: Implications for the Assessment of Anxiety and Depression. Dyslexia, 24(1), 44-58.
  18. Liebel SW, Jones EC, Oshri A, Hallowell ES, Jerskey BA, Gunstad J, Sweet LH (2017). Cognitive processing speed mediates the effects of cardiovascular disease on executive functioning. Neuropsychology, 31(1), 44-51.
  19. Liebel SW, Nelson JM (2017). Auditory and Visual Working Memory Functioning in College Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Learning Disabilities. Arch Clin Neuropsychol, 32(8), 980-991.
  20. Liebel SW, Clark US, Xu X, Riskin-Jones HH, Hawkshead BE, Schwarz NF, Labbe D, Jerskey BA, Sweet LH (2015). An FMRI-compatible Symbol Search task. J Int Neuropsychol Soc, 21(3), 231-8.
  21. Liebel SW, Tillman SJ, Hoose EM, Andelin BZ, Reber JS (Spring 2012). A pilot investigation of the role of implicit assumptions in the therapeutic relationship: Implications and points of conflict. 16.

Book Chapter

  1. Liebel SW, Sweet LH (2019). Effects of cardiovascular disease and related risk factors on neurocognition. In Stern RA, Alosco MA (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders (pp. 84-116). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Letter

  1. Multipl (2022). Treating Alzheimer’s: A new era begins with lecanemab. JAMA,