Elliot Frohman, MD, PhD, FANA, FAAN

Dr. Elliot Frohman, the Chairman of the Frohman Foundation, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow in the Laboratory of Neuroimmunology of Professor Lawrence Steinman at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Frohman was born in New York City and received his undergraduate training in biochemistry and cell biology at the University of California at San Diego, and later completed the Physician Scientist Training Program for his MD and PhD degrees at the University of California at Irvine. Dr. Frohman subsequently completed his residency and fellowship training in the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Hospital (1991‐1995), where he also served as Chief Resident from 1993‐1994.

Dr. Frohman was the inaugural Director of the Multiple Sclerosis & Neuroimmunology Center, at the new Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the Founding Director (1995‐2016) of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Program, and the Clinical Center for MS in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Since his arrival at UT Southwestern in 1995, Elliot, along with his wife and principal collaborator, Teresa Frohman, built one of the largest and most significant MS centers anywhere.

In addition to establishing world-renowned centers for MS and neuroimmunology, Elliot and Teresa have co-authored over 100 peer-review manuscripts. Dr. Frohman has published over 300 peer‐review articles, book chapters and monographs, and serves as a principal investigator on a number of MS clinical trials.

Dr. Frohman, in conjunction with his two closest research colleagues for more than 12 years, Dr. Peter Calabresi (Director, MS Program at Johns Hopkins) and Dr. Laura Balcer (Head of Neuro‐Ophthalmology and Vice-Chair of Neurology at NYU), were awarded the prestigious 2015 National Multiple Sclerosis Society Barancik Prize for Innovation in MS Research.

The trio focuses on the theory that the eye can be utilized as a “window” into the central nervous system of neurodegenerative disorders. The view through this “window” can expose not only clarifying mechanisms of disease, but also allows identification and monitoring of protective, performance-enhancing, preventative, and even restorative properties of novel neurotherapeutic agents. In this way, the collaborative team envisions the eye as a vertically integrated window, ideally suited for dissecting mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders. They strive to translate these advanced insights into innovative treatments for their beloved patients, not just for MS in particular, but for patients who suffer from neurodegenerative disorders, in general.

In 2017, Dr. Frohman was among 16, worldwide, elected to the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars, which recognizes former Johns Hopkins trainees who have made significant contributions to patient care, education, and discovery at other institutions.