Dr. David W. Dodick

Dr. David W. Dodick

Chief Science & Medical Officer, Atria; Co-Director, Atria Research Institute

New York

South Florida

Neurology

Dr. David Dodick is the Chief Science and Medical Officer at the Atria Health Institute and Co-Chair of the Atria Research Institute. Prior to joining Atria, Dr. David Dodick trained at the Mayo Clinic and served on the faculty there for more than three decades.

At the Mayo Clinic, he founded the Neurology Residency Program, the Headache Fellowship Program, the Sports Neurology and Concussion Program, the Migraine and Headache Program, and co-founded the Vascular Neurology/Stroke Program.

He is a Professor Emeritus at the Mayo Clinic, a consultant for Mayo Clinic International, a Guest Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Copenhagen and Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Dodick currently chairs the American Brain Foundation, the World Federation of Neurology’s Patient Advocacy Committee, and Co-Chairs World Brain Day on behalf of the World Federation of Neurology. Dr. Dodick has authored 13 books and more than 900 peer-reviewed abstracts and manuscripts. He has delivered more than 500 lectures in more than 40 countries.

“I spent 32 years at a medical institute that is world-class and the gold standard at treating complex disease," says Dr. Dodick. "I came to Atria because I believe this institute will become world-class and the gold standard in preventing complex disease,” says Dr. Dodick.

“Neurological conditions are the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, with over 43% of the global population—that’s 3 billion people,—affected. Much of this burden associated is avoidable by eliminating known risk factors. This led the World Health Organization to call for urgent and targeted actions to prioritize brain health across all life stages because unfortunately, the practice of neurology today is based on evaluating and treating symptoms after a disease has already begun,” he says.

“At Atria, renowned neurologists and neuroscientists have designed a first-of-its-kind program to optimize the health and performance of the brain and to prevent and attenuate cognitive decline and the risk of stroke and dementia, the two most disabling neurological diseases. We measure the health of the brain with accuracy, using the most advanced diagnostic technologies available anywhere. We initiate care plans designed with precision and developed with other experts at Atria. These care plans are based on the person’s biology, and we monitor objective quantitative and qualitative measures to ensure the best possible outcomes. We are fully committed to continuous discovery, shaping the future, and preserving and protecting what makes us human—our brains.”

Dr. Dodick says the people at Atria drew him to join the organization. “I had such trust and was inspired by the people here, and I thought to myself, ‘If anybody can pull this off, this collection of people can.’ We have the diagnostic tools, the knowledge, and the therapies. I thought to myself that if all of that were brought to bear with no restraints or constraints, my goodness, we could transform medical care from sick care to health care and be a model that others will emulate and scale so that healthy lifespan is extended for as many people as possible.”

Dr. Dodick wanted to be a doctor since he was a child. “There was one person—only one person—in the small steel town in Nova Scotia where I grew up who saved lives and made everyone feel better: the family doctor. Everyone loved him,” he says. “This struck me so much that when I was five and I was given a book that asked what I wanted to be, I wrote, ‘doctor.’”

From that point on, Dr. Dodick knew that being a doctor was his calling. After earning his medical degree with distinction from Dalhousie University, Dr. Dodick was awarded the Woltman Award as the Top Neurology Resident at Mayo Clinic and the Top Researcher and Top Educator Award as a Professor at Mayo Clinic. Now Professor Emeritus at Mayo, Dr. Dodick maintains close ties to his alma mater while leading the clinical team at Atria.

Credentials

Professor Emeritus

Mayo Clinic

Founder & Former Director

Headache Program & Sports Neurology & Concussion programs, Mayo Clinic

Founder & Former Director

Neurology Residency & Headache Fellowship programs, Mayo Clinic

Guest Professor

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Affiliate Professor

University of Copenhagen

Affiliate Professor

Thomas Jefferson University

Awards

Distinguished Investigator Award

Mayo Clinic

Distinguished Educator Award

Mayo Clinic

John Graham Clinician’s Award for Achievement & Leadership in Headache Medicine

American Headache Society

Distinguished Service Award

American Headache Society

Distinguished Service Award

International Headache Society

Migraine Trust Lecture

Migraine Trust International Symposium

James Lance Oration Award

Migraine Foundation of Australia

John Edmeads Award

Canadian Headache Society

CNS Richard Keynote Lecturer

Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation

Alumnus of the Year

Dalhousie University

Global Year Against Pain Special Lectureship Award

American Pain Society

Richard L. and Mary Masland Keynote Lecturer

World Congress of Neurology, Bangkok, Thailand

Top Doctors 2006-2023

Castle Connolly

Top Doctors 2022, 2023

Modern Luxury Scottsdale Magazine

Affiliations

Founder & Immediate Past-Chair

American Migraine Foundation

Co-Founder & Chair

International Concussion Society

Chair

American Brain Foundation

Chair

World Federation of Neurology Public Awareness & Advocacy Subcommittee

Chair

International Headache Society Global Patient Advocacy Coalition

Chair

International Registry for Migraine Research

Co-Chair

World Federation of Neurology World Brain Day for Brain Health 2022

Co-Chair

American Registry for Migraine Research

Past President

International Headache Society

Past President

American Headache Society

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