Chair's Welcome

I am proud to introduce you to the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Our department has a rich tradition, embedded for more than 50 years within a medical school and medical center that has a reputation for both scientific and clinical excellence.

With 6 Nobel Prize recipients (one of these being one of the Department’s former residents), 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 24 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators, UT Southwestern Medical Center further distinguishes itself as one of the top twenty US News & World Report Honor Roll hospitals in the United States.

"UT Southwestern Department of Neurology is undergoing a period of creative transformation and growth. There is so much we can do as neurologists and neuroscientists to advance our field. We stand at the center of the pathway into the future."

Our department's collective work is guided by the three pillars of an academic medical center – discovery, healing, and education. Our close ties with the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern allow us to leverage shared resources to support a range of unique programs within the department and across our growing medical center.

Our Legacy of Research and Discovery

Our faculty, strongly motivated by a desire to improve the lives of individuals living with neurological disease, pursue a broad range of novel research studies, from molecular and cellular to clinical, translational, clinical-epidemiological and experimental therapeutic. Building on this tradition, the department has experienced a four-fold increase in NIH funding over the past three years, with 15 newly recruited principal investigators. As such, we are now the primary department for 22 faculty who are PIs of NIH-funded grants, with 32 research labs (16 wet bench and 16 dry bench). As a result, 1 in every 4 faculty members in the department directs a research portfolio that includes NIH funding, while numerous others are PIs of DOD, VA and foundation awards. Per capita, we are among the most well-funded departments at UT Southwestern. Several Sections (Cognitive and Memory Disorders, Movement Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology, and Neuro-oncology) have faculty-rich research programs and the Biostatistics and Clinical Informatics Section in our department was specifically established to aid investigators with various aspects of research design and statistical support.

Compassionate Clinical Care

We are particularly proud of our clinical faculty and clinical providers, who lead impactful clinical programs and who are valued for their excellence in patient care. A robust clinical program, we boast not one 1 but 3 neurocritical care units (48 beds), 2 neurovascular units (52 beds), 2 sleep centers, and our 2 adult epilepsy monitoring units (24 beds). Specialty clinics in dysautonomia, ataxia, ALS, myasthenia gravis, and others draw patients from great distances. We work closely with our colleagues in Neurosurgery, where there are four functional neurosurgeons, in our integrated neuromodulation program. We are particularly proud of the work we do to serve the patient needs at Parkland Hospital, which is one of the busiest public hospitals in the United States.

Educating the Future Leaders in Neurology

Finally, our educational programs are among some of the most highly ranked in the medical center, with numerous faculty who are deeply committed to our educational mission. As a result, more than four times as many UT Southwestern medical students chose neurology as a career path than the national average. Our residency program, which draws in and matriculates trainees from all regions of the United States, is established based on six conceptual pillars, which serve to structure, guide, and frame an intensive yet individualized experience.

We stand at the center of the pathway into the future.

We are excited to be here, and we welcome you to explore our website.

Elan D. Louis, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology
Linda and Mitch Hart Distinguished Chair in Neurology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center​