Dr. David W. Dodick
Chief Science & Medical Officer, Atria; Co-Director, Atria Academy of Science and Medicine
Dr. David Dodick is the Chief Science & Medical Officer, and Co-Director 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.
Why leave the renowned Mayo Clinic after three decades? “I spent the past 32 years at a medical institute that is world-class and the gold standard at treating complex disease. 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 with at least seven neurological conditions is avoidable by eliminating known risk factors. This led the World Health Organization to recently call for urgent and targeted actions to prioritize brain health across all life stages, because unfortunately, the practice of neurology today is based on the evaluation and treatment of 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 as well as 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 that are 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 is thrilled that he gets to maintain his close ties to his alma mater while embarking on a new journey at Atria.
