Antonio Enrique Puente, PhD

Dr. Antonio E Puente was born in La Habana, Cuba and immigrated to the US in 1960. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his PhD from the University of Georgia. His board certified by both the American Board of Neuropsychology and the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology. He has taught at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) since 1981 and holds the rank of Professor of Psychology. Prior to that he was Assistant Professor of Neuroanatomy St. George’s University School of Medicine. He is also visiting professor at the Universidad de Granada (Spain) and UCLA.

Dr. Antonio E Puente was the founding director of UNCW’s Centro Hispano, and his research focuses on the interface between culture and neuropsychology. Puente founded and edited the journals Neuropsychology Review and Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice as well as a neuropsychology book series. He has published 10 books, 75 chapters, and 113 scientific articles in several languages.

Dr. Antonio E Puente has been in clinical practice since 1982 in Wilmington, NC. In 2026, he co-founded the Puente Neuropsychological Institute (PNI) with his son Dr. Antonio N Puente. Additionally, he is the founder and co-director of mental health services at the Cape Fear Clinic, a bilingual multi-disciplinary health center serving the underserved.

Finally, Dr. Antonio E Puente has been particularly engaged with state and national organizations. In 2017, Puente served as the 125th president of the American Psychological Association. Prior to this he served as the American Psychological Association’s (APA) advisor for 15 years to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and then an additional 8 years as one of 17 members of the AMA CPT Panel. He was also president of the N.C. Psychological Association, N.C. Psychological Foundation, the Hispanic Neuropsychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (Division 40 of APA), Society of Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology (Division 6 of APA), and International Psychology (Division 52 of APA).

Antonio Nicolas Puente, PhD

Dr. Antonio N. Puente was born and raised in Wilmington, attending Wrightsville Beach Elementary School, Noble Middle School, and Laney High School. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Flagler College and his PhD from the University of Georgia. He completed his clinical internship at Duke University and post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. He is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

From 2016 through 2026, Dr. Antonio N. Puente served on the full-time faculty at George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine. Prior to returning home and co-founding PNI in 2026, Dr. Puente held the rank of Chief Psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. During his time at GWU, he built and scaled a psychological service from a single provider to multiple providers and students. He also taught and trained medical students, psychiatry residents, and psychology trainees in the classroom and the clinic. Dr. Puente has transitioned to a part-time clinical faculty position where he continues to teach neuropsychology to the psychiatry residents.

Dr. Puente’s academic work has focused on how neuropsychological techniques translate into everyday life. He has maintained a scientist-practitioner focus to guide his work and ultimately improve the lives of his patients. He has published over 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 6 published book chapters, and over 30 abstracts. He presents regularly at National Neuropsychology Conferences and maintained several leadership positions, including: Federal Advocacy Coordinator for the DC Psychological Association and Chair of the Professional Affairs and Information Committee for the National Academy for Neuropsychology. He is also eager to resume working at the Cape Fear Clinic where he volunteered as a student prior to leaving Wilmington.