Dr. Ralph L. Sacco Elected President of American Academy of Neurology
Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.S., professor and chairman of neurology and Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has added another accomplishment to his impressive career legacy. The internationally renowned neurologist was elected president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the world’s largest professional association of neurologists with 32,000 members, becoming its 35th president. Sacco succeeds Terrence L. Cascino, M.D., who completed his two-year term as president during the recent AAN Annual Meeting in Boston.
Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.S., receives the American Academy of Neurology’s presidential gavel from Terrence L. Cascino, M.D.
“The AAN is a growing, vibrant organization that is committed to its mission of providing the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care, and enhancing member career satisfaction,” said Sacco, who is also director and principal investigator at the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute. “Like the presidents before me, I am dedicated to expanding the reach of the AAN, and demonstrating the immense value of neurology. I am also committed to helping grow our pipeline of future neurologists to ensure the one in six people affected by neurologic disease has access to a neurologist.”
Sacco is a career-long member of the AAN, most recently serving as president-elect and on the AAN Board of Directors. In addition to his involvement at the AAN, Sacco is the executive director of the Evelyn McKnight Brain Institute and chief of the Neurology Service at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
Sacco was the first neurologist to serve as the national president of the American Heart Association from 2010 to 2011. He is the principal investigator of the Northern Manhattan Study, the Florida Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities, AHA/ASA Bugher Center of Excellence, as well as co-investigator of multiple other NIH grants. He has received numerous awards, including the AAN Wartenberg Lecture, AHA Feinberg Award of Excellence in Clinical Stroke, the WSO Global Stroke Leadership Award, AHA Gold Heart Award and the NINDS Javits Award in Neuroscience.
The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.