Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.S., is the Chairman of Neurology, Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders, Miller Professor of Neurology, Public Health Sciences, Human Genetics, and Neurosurgery, Executive Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, and Chief of the Neurology Service at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

A graduate of Cornell University in Bio-electrical Engineering and a cum laude graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, he also holds an MS in Epidemiology from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health.  Dr. Sacco completed his neurology residency training and postdoctoral training in Stroke and Epidemiology at Columbia Presbyterian in New York. He was previously Professor of Neurology, Chief of Stroke and Critical Care Division and Associate Chairman at Columbia University before taking his current position as Chairman of Neurology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine.

He is the founding Principal Investigator of the 28-year NINDS-funded Northern Manhattan Study, the Florida Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities, and the Family Study of Stroke Risk and Carotid Atherosclerosis, as well as co-investigator of multiple other NIH grants.  He has also been the Co-Chair of international stroke treatment and prevention trials. Dr. Sacco has published extensively with 726 articles (H-index of 115) in the areas of stroke prevention, treatment, epidemiology, risk factors, vascular cognitive impairment, brain health, human genetics and stroke recurrence. His research has also addressed health care disparities. He has been listed as a Highly Cited Researcher in the top 1% of cited investigators annually since 2017 by the Clarivate Web of Science.  He has been the recipient of numerous awards including, the Feinberg Award of Excellence in Clinical Stroke, the Chairman’s Award from the American Heart Association, the NINDS Javits Award in Neuroscience, AAN Wartenberg Lecture Award, WSO Global Leadership Award and the WHL Daniel Lackland Award.  He has lectured extensively at national and international meetings and received numerous named lectureships.  He is the current Editor-in-Chief of the American Stroke Association journal, Stroke.

Dr. Sacco is a fellow of both the Stroke and Epidemiology Councils of the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Neurological Association, and serves as the past-President of the American Academy of Neurology.  He is also an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Association of American Physicians.  Dr. Sacco has been a member of the World Stroke Organization since 2008 and is on the Board of Directors. He was the first neurologist to serve as the President of the American Heart Association – 2010-2011.