Mark Goldberg named head of neurology at UT Southwestern
By Aline McKenzie, UT Southwestern
Dr. Mark Goldberg, formerly of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has become chairman of neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Goldberg, who holds the Linda and Mitch Hart Distinguished Chair in Neurology at UT Southwestern, succeeds Dr. Steven Cannon, who was named associate dean for undergraduate education in June.
Dr. Goldberg was the founding director of Washington University’s Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, a campuswide initiative promoting research on brain diseases of children and adults. At the Hope Center, Dr. Goldberg brought together researchers and clinicians from many specialties to work on complex nervous-system disorders. He plans to take the same interdisciplinary approach at UT Southwestern.
“I’m most interested in developing new treatments for neurological diseases,” Dr. Goldberg said. “Doctors and patients often think that conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease are untreatable. We need to recognize neurology as a discipline that improves the lives of our patients.
“UT Southwestern has long been a pioneering institution for brain science,” he said. “We have the opportunity to develop collaborative research initiatives that move these advances to patient care.”
At Washington University, Dr. Goldberg served as professor of neurology, neurobiology and biomedical engineering. He also was co-head of the Cerebrovascular Disease Section and was director of a Web education project that deals with stroke.
Dr. Goldberg’s research focuses on injury of the brain’s “white matter,” which contains the long “arms” by which nerves reach other areas of the brain. White matter gets its color from the insulating fatty coating that makes nerve cells more efficient. Several diseases and injuries, including stroke, trauma and multiple sclerosis, can damage this coating.
He also studies how nerve cells can form new connections to neighboring nerve cells after injury.
“He was identified as the best candidate for this position based on his exceptional accomplishments as a physician, scientist and teacher,” said Dr. J. Gregory Fitz, dean of the medical school, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at UT Southwestern. “Dr. Goldberg brings these considerable skills to UT Southwestern to focus on the continual development of multidisciplinary programs in neurology and neurosciences.”
Dr. Goldberg earned his medical degree from Columbia University after graduating from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He completed his neurology residency at Stanford University, where he also was a postdoctoral research fellow. He has received numerous awards from organizations including the Academy of Neurology, the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
“Dr. Goldberg’s early high priorities,” said Dr. Fitz, “will be to build clinical and academic programs in stroke and research programs in cerebral ischemia through the new Beatrice Menne Haggerty Center for Research on Brain Injury and Repair in Stroke.”