Welcome from the Chairman

Welcome to Boston University’s Department of Neurology. At BU and Boston Medicine Center (BMC), we pride ourselves in our dedication to our mission to care for a highly diverse population, as well as our commitment to each other to foster an environment that is inclusive, supportive and cohesive.

We have strong connection to our history. Some of the major achievements in the field of neurology took place at Boston City Hospital (the precursor to BMC), including the discovery of phenytoin for use in patients with epilepsy. Some of the “greats” of neurology hallowed our walls, including Derek Denny-Brown, Norman Geschwind, Houston Merritt, James Putnam, William Lenox and Raymond Adams, among many others. We feel a strong connection to this history, and it inspires us to model and achieve greatness in our everyday lives.

This translates into a firm commitment to some of the cores of clinical neurology, including the importance of the clinical history and examination, and the imperative that we be the best clinicians possible for our patients, including providing cutting edge diagnostic capabilities, clinical trials as well as simply amazing clinical acumen. Along with this commitment to the bedside, hand-in-hand, is the dedication to teaching the art of clinical neurology. We boast a philosophy of excellence in education to our residents and fellows, as well as to the many medical students who go into neurology from our outstanding medical school.

We carry the unique feature of being a large safety net hospital with the most modern technology, associated with a world-class academic medical school. Many of our patients are underserved, and face staunch socio-economic challenges. Our clinicians care for our patients selflessly, and consistently go the extra mile to ensure that all patients get the care they deserve. This tends to breed or self-select a unique type of person to work at BU/BMC, one who is committed to their fellow man/woman, and who loves the spirit of multi-specialty collaboration in providing the best care to our neediest patients.

However, alongside our excellent clinical care is our world-class research, which takes the forms of clinical, basic science and translational research. Our program in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is world-renowned, led by Drs. Ann McKee and Bob Stern, and provides the most cutting edge insights to this devastating disease, with hopes of someday finding a cure. Our department houses the cerebrovascular research of the Framingham Heart Study, a longitudinal, 70-year multi-generational epidemiological study conducted through Boston University. This has led to ground-breaking work in stroke neuroimaging, dementia related to cerebrovascular disease, and many others. We also have a highly productive, NIH-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Center, with leading researchers investigating one of the biggest public health problems facing our and future generations.

We take great pride in our strong clinical programs, including inpatient and outpatient – movement disorders, neuromuscular disease, memory disorders, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, neurointensive care, neuro-oncology, neuro-immunology, pain, sleep and general neurology. We provide cutting-edge care to our patients, including the opportunity to take part in important clinical research to further the field and provide answers for future generations.

Our residency program, led by Dr. Pria Anand, puts a strong emphasis on excellence in clinical care and education. We have a broad representation in our residency, as diversity remains central to all that we do. All residents come to our program with a firm commitment to our patient population, and to each other, and most pursue additional training in specialized fellowships, of which we offer multiple at BUMC as well. Most go on to pursue academic careers, and become leaders in the field themselves.

Our department is exemplified by our commitment to our patients, diversity, equality, fairness and passion for what we do. The “family” atmosphere is of paramount importance to us – we nurture it, foster it, and emphasize it in our daily lives. That is what imbues excellence in all that we do.

Welcome to Boston University’s Department of Neurology!

David M. Greer MD, MA
Professor and Chair of Neurology