Suffolk Reporter

Joe Verghese, MBBS, MD, MS, has been appointed chair of the Department of Neurology at the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University. His appointment by Peter Igarashi, MD, Knapp Dean of the RSOM, will commence on October 14. Dr. Verghese is recognized nationally for his expertise in gait and cognition in aging.

Dr. Verghese joins RSOM after over two decades at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He served as professor of neurology and medicine and was the inaugural chief of the Division of Cognitive & Motor Aging in the Department of Neurology. He also held roles such as Murray D. Gross Memorial Faculty Scholar in Gerontology at Einstein and former chief of geriatrics for Montefiore Medical Center’s Department of Medicine. Additionally, he was founding director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain.

“Our aging society has a great need for medical experts who will advance preventive and treatment strategies for age-related illnesses, and the selection of Dr. Verghese as our new Neurology Chair ensures that this area of medicine will thrive within the Renaissance School of Medicine,” said Dr. Igarashi. “Dr. Verghese is a leading physician researcher, innovator and educator in neurology and specifically with cognitive aging issues.”

Dr. Verghese's research has characterized non-cognitive features in prodromal stages of dementia and defined Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome, a pre-dementia syndrome that helps identify older adults at high risk for dementia.

Throughout his career, Dr. Verghese has focused on aging and dementia issues, studying epidemiology early on before moving to research on gait disorders, frailty, falling, cognitive processes, and brain substrates through various methods including epidemiological and clinical translation approaches.

“By harnessing the expertise of our exceptional Neurology team at Stony Brook, I believe we can deepen our understanding of neurological disorders, train the next generation of neurologists, and significantly enhance treatment outcomes for our patients on Long Island and beyond,” said Dr. Verghese. “My primary goal as Chair is to cultivate a collaborative environment that not only fosters innovative research and comprehensive patient care but also prioritizes education."

Dr. Verghese graduated from St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore, India, completed postgraduate training in internal medicine and neurology in the United Kingdom before completing a neurology residency at Einstein in 1998 followed by fellowship training there.

He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles and secured more than $200 million in research funding from NIH since 2002; he currently holds five active NIH grants.

Dr. Verghese is affiliated with several professional organizations including being a member and fellow of the American Academy of Neurology among others; he has received numerous accolades such as Beeson Award from National Institute on Aging among others.

He has mentored over 100 trainees during his time at Einstein receiving Mentor-of-the-Year Award twice from Einstein Clinical Research Training Program.