About Me

I’m a neurologist with subspecialty training in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and related disorders. My current positions are chair of the Department of Neurology, director of the Neuroscience Research Institute, director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center, and co-director of the Neurological Institute at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. I also hold the Stanley D. and Joan H. Ross Chair of Neuromodulation.

My mission as an MS physician is to provide an accurate diagnosis and a highly personalized treatment plan for each patient. MS is a complex disease that affects each individual in unique ways. At the Ohio State Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center, we strive to alleviate symptoms and neurological deficits, prevent relapses, block new lesion formation in the brain and spinal cord, and slow or halt neurological decline using the latest medical research and cutting-edge therapies. Our ultimate goal is to improve our patients’ quality of life and position them for the best long-term outcome possible.

My research on MS and neuroimmunology has been published in high-impact journals and featured at academic meetings internationally. Our research is supported by annual funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in excess of $1.3 million. We’ve discovered that the type of inflammation that causes damage to the nervous system during MS can vary between individuals, suggesting that prescribed medicines must be customized for each patient. Active research projects are focused on understanding how the immune system and the central nervous system interact, and explaining their role in disease progression, remission and potential repair of neurological damage. I’m also investigating how we can use blood and spinal cord fluid samples from patients to better predict how an individual’s disease might progress and what therapies could be most effective.

I’ve been on the “Best Doctors in America” list each year since 2010, and received multiple research awards, including the Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I’ve been keynote speaker at international neurology and multiple sclerosis symposia, and published over 95 peer reviewed papers in academic journals such as The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Annals of Neurology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Lancet Neurology and Nature Immunology.

My professional memberships include the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Immunologists, the American Neurological Association, the Henry Kunkel Society (an honorary society for immunologists) and the American Medical Association. I’m a director of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS). I serve on the ACTRIMS Program and Nominating committees, and organize and chair its annual Neurology Resident Summit and the annual Young Investigator Summit. At ACTRIMS 2021, I will be a plenary speaker, giving the Kenneth P. Johnson Memorial Lecture. I chaired the scientific program committee for MSVirtual2020, the largest academic meeting on MS research in the world, and I was chair of the Canada Foundation for Innovation- Expert Committee on Neurosciences in 2020. I previously co-chaired the Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors (CNBT) Study Section, which is part of the NIH Center for Scientific Review.

Highlights

• Named to “Best Doctors” in America list
• Named to Castle Connolly's Regional Top Doctors list
• Over $1.3 million in annual funding for research in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology
• Recipient, Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis; Board of Directors and annual chair for Neurology Resident Summit
• Board of Trustees, National MS Society- Ohio Buckeye Chapter
• Stanley D. and Joan H. Ross Chair of Neuromodulation

Procedures and Conditions I Treat

• Multiple Sclerosis