Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Advisory Board

James Guest, MD, PhD, FACS

  • Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis

Dr. James Guest is Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Dr. Guest performs experimental translational and clinical research predominantly in SCI, and complex spinal and pain problems. He has received funding from National Institute of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense for whom he serves as a Study section reviewer. He serves on the Grants Working Group of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review biologics, cell and gene therapy projects across a range of diseases. In the SCI field, he has focused on cell transplantation, neuroprotection, gene therapy and delivery devices, and in the last decade epidural and deep brain stimulation in large animal models and human subjects with spinal cord injury. He has been a Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, or adviser to more than 20 spinal cord injury clinical trials ranging from Phase 1 through Phase 2/3, including studies incorporating neurophysiology biomarkers. He is the co-Chair of the North American Clinical Trials Network for spinal cord injury.

Steven Kirshblum, MD

  • Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 
  • Chief Medical Officer for Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) and Kessler Foundation (KF)

Dr. Steven Kirshblum is Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Chief Medical Officer for Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) and Kessler Foundation (KF). He also serves as the Director of the Spinal Cord Program for KIR, the co-director of the Northern NJ Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems and co-director for the Center for Spinal Stimulation at KF. Dr. Kirshblum has served in many leadership roles for numerous national organizations including past president of Academy of Spinal Cord Professionals, American Paraplegia Society, as well as a current American Spinal Injury Association Board member.

Brian Kwon, MD, PhD, FRCSC

  • Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia, the Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury

Dr. Brian Kwon is a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia, the Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury, and holds the Dvorak Chair in Spine Trauma. He is an attending spine surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, a level 1 trauma center and regional referral center for spinal cord injuries. As a surgeon-scientist and the current Chair of the AO Spine Knowledge Forum in Spinal Cord Injury, he is particularly interested in the bi-directional process of translational research for spinal cord injury, and he leads a research program focused on translation at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. He has worked extensively on establishing biomarkers of human SCI to understand the biology of human injury and to better stratify injury severity and improve the prediction of neurologic outcome. Dr. Kwon has led the development of a novel large animal model of SCI and is utilizing this for both bench-to-bedside and bedside-back-to-bench translational studies. research focuses on neurology clinical trial design, and he has served as the principal investigator for several notable MS clinical trials.

Linda Jones, PT, PhD

  • Collaborating Investigator at Spinal Cord Outcomes Partnership Endeavor (SCOPE)
  • Chair of the Research Committee of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA)

Dr. Linda Jones serves as a consultant to biotechnology companies, universities, and non-profit organizations to advance spinal cord injury research and is a collaborating faculty member at Thomas Jefferson University. She completed a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, and physical therapy, and a PhD in clinical science at the University of Colorado, as well as a master’s degree from Samuel Merritt College. She managed the first two cell-based trials in spinal cord injury, one of which was the first study using cells derived from human embryonic stem cells, and managed the translational research portfolio at the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation. She is the Chair of the Research Committee of the American Spinal Injury Association and co-Chair of the Spinal Cord Outcomes Partnership Endeavor and has expertise in fostering successful translational research, optimizing use of outcome measures, understanding the differences and similarities between human and animal outcome measures, and clinical trial design.

Daniel Lammertse, MD

  • Clinical Professor of PM&R at the University of Colorado School of Medicine 
  • Emeritus Clinical Scientist at Craig Hospital in Englewood Colorado

Dr. Daniel Lammertse is a Clinical Professor of PM&R at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is an Emeritus Clinical Scientist at Craig Hospital in Englewood Colorado. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the American Spinal Injury Association (serving as President from 2001-2003) and the American Paraplegia Society. He was co-project director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Injury System from 1997-2016 and served as chair of the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research SCI Model Systems Project Directors from 2000-2006. He has been awarded the American Paraplegia Society Excellence Award in 2008, the American Spinal Injury Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals James J. Peters Award in 2017. He currently serves on the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation Board of Directors and is a founding member of the Spinal Cord Outcomes Partnership Endeavor. He is an internationally recognized expert in spinal cord injury clinical care and rehabilitation and has authored numerous scientific publications on topics in spinal cord injury.

Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Advisory Board

Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD

  • Director of the Chamber-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Director Emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

Dr. Jeffrey Cummings serves as Director of the Chamber-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is Director Emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Dr. Cummings is the originator of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), a widely used clinical test battery that has been translated in over 75 languages and used around the world to assess and monitor dementia-related symptoms. Dr. Cummings has been recognized for his research leadership in Alzheimer’s disease with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alzheimer’s Association and is a recipient of numerous other honors, including from the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology, American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, International Society of CNS Drug Development, and the American Geriatrics Society.

Martin Farlow, MD

  • Professor of Neurology and Emeritus of Neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis
  • Associate Clinical Core Leader of the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Indianapolis

Dr. Martin Farlow is Professor of Neurology and Emeritus of Neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He is also Associate Clinical Core Leader of the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Indianapolis and leads a large Alzheimer’s and related dementias clinical trials site in the Department of Neurology, Co-PI for Discover and Pramlintide, site PI for ADNI and DIAN-OBS and Project Arm Leader for DIAN-TU. He was PI for the first pivotal trial of tacrine (first symptomatic drug for AD) and described the second mutation associated with familial AD that was used to create the first generally recognized transgenic model for AD (PDAPP Mouse Model). Dr. Farlow has led and/or contributed in various ways to over 230 clinical trials over the last 25 years, has authored 493 peer reviewed research papers and 509 abstracts. He is an active consultant to industry and serves on numerous Data Safety Monitoring Boards.

Bruce Lamb, PhD

  • Executive director of the Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Chair of the medical and scientific advisory group and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association

Dr. Bruce Lamb serves as executive director of the Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Lamb is a world-expert on the biological underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. He currently serves as chair of the medical and scientific advisory group and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. Lamb is an active member of the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment, which convenes the global Alzheimer’s disease and dementia science community around key research areas. He is responsible for launching the professional interest area tied to immunity. Dr. Lamb is also a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Indiana Chapter and is actively involved in advocacy to support increased research funding for Alzheimer’s disease.

George Perry, PhD

  • Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Semmes Distinguished University Chair in Neurobiology at the University of Texas, San Antonio

Dr. George Perry is the current and founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Semmes Distinguished University Chair in Neurobiology at the University of Texas, San Antonio. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from University of California, Santa Barbara and his PhD in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Dr. Perry has received a number of awards for his research in the Alzheimer’s disease space, including the Denham Harman Research Award, the Senior Investigator Award from the College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology and the Zenith and Temple Awards from the Alzheimer’s Association.

Reisa Sperling, MD

  • Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Co-Principal Investigator of the Harvard Aging Brain Study, and the NIH funded Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC)

Dr. Reisa Sperling is a neurologist focused on the detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at the pre-symptomatic or “preclinical” stage of AD. Dr. Sperling is a Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Sperling is the co-Principal Investigator of the Harvard Aging Brain Study, and the NIH funded Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC). Dr. Sperling chaired the 2011 NIA-Alzheimer’s Association workgroup to develop guidelines for the study of “Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.” 

She co-leads the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (A4) Study, the first trial aiming to prevent cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease in cognitively normal older individuals with biomarker evidence of early AD pathology. In 2020, she launched two new prevention trials in the AHEAD 3-45 Study with the ACTC. She has authored over 300 peer-reviewed research articles on neuroimaging markers and clinical trials in early AD. Dr. Sperling received the 2011 Derek Denny-Brown Award, the 2015 Potamkin Prize from the American Academy of Neurology, the 2018 Raymond Adams Lectureship Award from the American Neurological Association and was named one of the Most Disruptive Women to Watch in Healthcare in 2017.

Michael Weiner, MD

  • Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)
  • Co-Principal Investigator of the Harvard Aging Brain Study, and the NIH funded Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC)

Dr. Michael Weiner has been conducting research for more than 50 years and is Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), and the BrainHealthRegistry.org, an internet-based registry with the overall goal of accelerating development of effective treatments for brain diseases. Dr. Weiner’s research largely focuses on treatment to slow progression in Alzheimer’s disease, and on early detection and prevention. He completed his MD at State University of New York Upstate Medical Center Syracuse in 1965, his internship and residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in 1967, and a residency and clinical fellowship in at Yale-New Haven Medical Center in 1968. 

He had various fellowships, earning Assistant Professorship at Stanford in 1974, and Associate Professorship at University of California, San Francisco in 1980 when he was one of the first to perform magnetic resonance spectroscopy on an intact animal. He subsequently pursued development of magnetic resonance imaging / magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a clinical tool. In 1983, he established the Magnetic Resonance Unit at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (which became the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases in 2000, and VA Advanced Imaging Research Center in 2020). Since 1990, he’s been a Professor in Radiology, Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology at UCSF. Dr. Weiner has published 903 peer-reviewed articles, holds 19 separate research grants, and has received numerous honors. In 2010, he was named one of the “Rock Stars of Science” in GQ magazine and received the Gold Medal of Paul Sabatier University and the City of Toulouse, France. In 2011, he received the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Award for Research from the Alzheimer’s Association; in 2013, the Potamkin Prize for Research in Picks Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and other Neurodegenerative Disorders from the American Association of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation; in 2014 the Distinguished Investigator Award from Academy of Radiology Research; in 2018, an Honorary Professorship Award from Australian Catholic University; and in 2019, a Docteur Honoris Causa Degree from Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France.

Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD

  • Professor of Neurochemistry and Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg

Dr. Henrik Zetterberg is a Professor of Neurochemistry and Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg. With a background in molecular biology and clinical chemistry, Dr. Zetterberg has spent the last 20 years focusing on the development of biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders. He has developed new diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease, as well as new preclinical models. Dr. Zetterberg has received numerous prizes, including the Erik K. Fernström Prize for Junior Scientists and the Inga Sandeborg Prize for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease. He is professor of neurochemistry and head of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry at the Sahlgrenska Academy, senior consultant in clinical chemistry at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, professor of neurochemistry at University College London and the UK Dementia Research Institute and a Wallenberg Scholar.

Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Advisory Board

Jack Antel, MD

  • Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University

Dr. Jack Antel is Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. Dr. Antel is a neurologist and coordinates the multiple sclerosis research and treatment program at the Montreal Neurological Institute. He previously served as Chairman of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Dr. Antel is a former President of both Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the International Society of Neuroimmunology and has served as Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the MS Society of Canada. His research interests include understanding the mechanisms of tissue injury and repair that occur in MS and how these can be therapeutically targeted. He received the 2005 Dystel Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Academy of Neurology, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Jeremy Chataway, MD

  • Professor of Neurology at the Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London
  • Former Clinical Director of the University College London Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit

Dr. Jeremy Chataway is Professor of Neurology at the Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London and a former Clinical Director of the University College London Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit. He is a neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College Foundation NHS Trust in London, England. Dr. Chataway was the clinical lead of the MS group at the National Hospital and was a member of the 2014 MS National Institute for Health and Care Excellence panel. His research focuses on neurology clinical trial design, and he has served as the principal investigator for several notable MS clinical trials.

Jeffrey Cohen, MD

  • Professor of Neurology in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
  • Hazel Prior Hostetler Endowed Chair

Dr. Jeffrey Cohen is Professor of Neurology in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and holds the Hazel Prior Hostetler Endowed Chair. He is a neurologist in the Mellen MS Center at the Cleveland Clinic where he is the former Center Director and currently serves as Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program, the Clinical Neuroimmunology Fellowship, and the MS Academic Coordinating Center. Dr. Cohen has over 300 publications concerning immunologic, imaging, and clinical aspects of MS. He has had a leadership role in a large number of clinical trials of potential therapies for MS, translational studies, studies to validate outcome measures, and observational studies. Dr. Cohen is the current President of Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and has served as Chair of the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS and International Panel on MS Diagnosis that developed the 2017 McDonald Criteria.

Robert Naismith, MD

  • Professor of Neurology at Washington University
  • Clinic Director of the John L. Trotter MS Clinic, Director of the MS Clinical Trials Program, and Neurology Clerkship Director

Dr. Robert Naismith is Professor of Neurology at Washington University. He serves as Clinic Director of the John L. Trotter MS Clinic, Director of the MS Clinical Trials Program, and Neurology Clerkship Director. Dr. Naismith’s research focuses on the use of imaging modalities, in particular quantitative magnetic resonance imaging, to better predict clinical outcomes. Dr. Naismith has numerous publications and serves on a number of national boards and committees.

Anneke van der Walt, MD, PhD

  • Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Monash University, Central Clinical School
  • Neurologist and head of the MS and Neuro Immunology Clinic and Neuro-ophthalmology at Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia

Dr. Anneke van der Walt is Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Monash University, Central Clinical School. She is a neurologist and head of the MS and Neuro Immunology Clinic and Neuro-ophthalmology at Alfred Health in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. van der Walt’s research focuses on implementing practical methods that can detect subclinical changes in cognition in MS patients using web-based technology. She also leads several large national and international studies on digital biomarkers in MS. Dr. van der Walt is Chief Operating Officer of the MSBase Foundation, an international online registry dedicated to tracking, sharing, and evaluating outcomes in MS, established in 2004.