Bio
Jeffrey Dunn, MD serves as the Lily Sarafan Director of Neuroimmunology, Clinical Professor and Chief of Neuroimmunology within the Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences at Stanford University. He specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and research of immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system, including Multiple Sclerosis, transverse myelitis, and Neuromyelitis Optica. Dr. Dunn is regarded as among the foundational leaders in his field and is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He is the past Chair of the MS Section of the AAN. As Principal Investigator in more than 30 clinical research trials, Dr. Dunn has helped usher in new and improved immunotherapies for Multiple Sclerosis, including most recently the investigation of cellular immune therapies for MS. He is the creator and Principal Investigator of Project BIG (see www.projectbig.com), an interdisciplinary research collaborative with Stanford scientists to identify biomarkers and candidate therapeutic targets within the paradigm of precision medicine. These collaborations have yielded such pivotal discoveries as EBV viral molecular mimicry as a driver of MS pathogenesis, a discovery recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science as a runner-up Science Breakthrough of the Year in 2022; and a T lymphocyte subtype having a key role in modulating human autoimmunity. Dr. Dunn is a US patent holder for a marker of MS treatment response with co-inventors, and has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts. Dr. Dunn has been recognized for excellence in clinical teaching, as a 13 time winner of the Neurology Clerkship student teaching award, the Lysia Forno Award recipient for excellence in Neurology resident teaching, and by Arthur Bloomfield Awards and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. In recognition of his dedication to the educational mission, his name is given to the eponymous Fishers-Dunn Prize, awarded annually to best medical student teaching among active Neurology residents. His formative contributions to medical education were recognized by the inaugural Oscar Salvatierra Award for exceptional service to Stanford medical students awarded by the Stanford University School of Medicine.