Dr. Merit Cudkowicz is the Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Chief of Neurology Service at Mass General Hospital. Dr. Cudkowicz’s research and clinical activities are dedicated to the study and treatment of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  Dr. Cudkowicz directs the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General Hospital.  She is one of the founders and former co-director of the Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS), a group of over 140 clinical sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East dedicated to performing collaborative academic led clinical trials and research studies in ALS.  In conjunction with the NEALS consortium, she planned and completed several multi-center clinical research studies in ALS. She is Principal Investigator of the Clinical Coordination Center for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Neurology Network of Excellence in Clinical Trials (NeuroNEXT). With her colleagues at Mass General and NEALS, she is currently leading the first ALS Platform Trial initiative to greatly accelerate therapy development.

Dr. Cudkowicz received the American Academy of Neurology 2009 Sheila Essey ALS award and the 2018 Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award.  She is a pioneer in promoting and developing more efficient methods of developing new therapies for people with ALS. A dedicated educator, Dr. Cudkowicz mentors many young neurologists in clinical investigation of ALS and related neurodegenerative disorders.