AUGUSTA, GA - Jeremy Hertza is working hard to adapt to his new life in Augusta.

“I’m trying to learn how to play tennis, but I’m so bad,” he confessed. “I’m an athletic guy, too. It’s embarrassing.”

Fortunately, his professional career seems to be going a little better. The 32-year-old Hertza was introduced as the director of Behavioral Medicine at Walton Rehabilitation Health System in late April.

As a neuropsychologist, Hertza brings a unique viewpoint to patient care at Walton.

According to him, neuropsychology is all about “examining the relationship between brain and behavior. It is the bridge between psychology and medicine.”

It is a broad field, too.

“I look at pretty much anything that can affect the brain at all,” said Hertza, who has already seen a lot of variety in his patients. He has treated those with dementia and concussions, along with victims of assault and stroke, and even a patient with alien hand syndrome, an extremely rare neurological disorder that prevents a person from recognizing his arm as his own.

“So many things can affect the brain,” said Hertza. “Even things like urinary infections can cause confusion and permanent brain damage, especially in seniors.”

Most of his patients at Walton so far have been adults, but Hertza won’t shy away from working with children. He looks forward to helping out kids with developmental delays or problems in school.

“We can give you very specific, detailed things that you can do to better yourself,” he said.

Walton’s decision to bring Hertza onboard signifies a big commitment from the clinic to bring in an expertise and a program that is lacking in Augusta. “There’s been such a paucity of these services here when, nationally, there’s not,” said Hertza.

Hertza is also concerned with the way people view medicine today.

“I think there’s a lot of education that needs to be done,” he mused. “If somebody has some problems, the only option isn’t just to put them on medicine.”

He aspires to gradually build his department over the next few years. There is only he and one other staff member now, but another is coming in a month. “We should have, hopefully by two years, four more,” he said optimistically.

Hertza is used to forging new paths in his life. His grandfather, father and brother are all automotive engineers.

“My family was really laid back and encouraging, which was great because I didn’t want to be an engineer,” he joked.

He grew up around the suburbs of Detroit, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (which explains the “family business”). He was a gymnast for 22 years and went to his first state championship when he was five years old. That translated into springboard diving at Michigan State University. So even though he is young, he understands long-term commitment.

After Michigan State, Hertza moved on to Argosy University in Washington, D.C., where he earned his doctoral degree. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System, then moved into his two-year specialty residency at the Indiana Neuroscience Institute at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Now, Hertza has settled in Augusta with his wife of a year, and is excited about a long-term career at Walton.

“Here’s an opportunity for me to create a private practice within a hospital,” he said. “I can ensure the quality and service myself.”

Plus, he can work on his serve.