Background:

John Ravits, M.D., is Professor of Clinical Neurosciences and Head ALS Programs at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). These programs include clinical care, translational research, and basic research. His main academic research interests are in modeling and studying neuroanatomic aspects of ALS onset and progression, ALS genomics and molecular neuropathology, and antisense oligonucleotide therapy development. 

Significant Contributions and Achievements:
Dr. Ravits is a Fellow of American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association and American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. He is on the Editorial Board of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He previously served as Chairman of the Western ALS Study Group (WALS) and served on the Department of Defense ALS Research Council, the steering committee of the Research Committee on Motor Neuron Diseases of the World Federation of Neurology, and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He is an ad hoc reviewer for several journals and international scientific research grant organizations. His honors include the Sheila Essey Award from the American Academy of Neurology in 2017 and America’s Best Doctors and Castle Connolly Top Doctors lists since 2010.

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Education:

Dr. Ravits went to college at Yale University and medical school at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. He completed internship and residency in neurology at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). After residency, he did fellowships in Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular Diseases at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health. He then joined the medical staff of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, specializing in neuromuscular disorders and neurophysiology. He served as Director of their Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory and, for several years, as Head of the Section of Neurology. In 2004, he started a translational research program at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason to focus on research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In 2011, he moved to UCSD as Professor of Clinical Neurosciences and heads the ALS Programs.

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