Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA

President Elect
American Academy of Neurology

Natalia S. Rost, MD, MPH, FAAN, FAHA, is chief of the stroke division at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Neurology and professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. A cum laude graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, she also holds a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. Rost trained in neurology and vascular neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital residency and fellowship programs.

Rost is internationally recognized for her expertise in vascular neurology, neuroimaging of cerebrovascular disease, and big-data science applications to personalized clinical outcome prediction in acute stroke. A clinician-scientist at the helm of the ambitious research program dedicated to reducing global burden of stroke-related cognitive and functional disability, Rost is currently the MGH Research Scholar and Principal Investigator of DISCOVERY, an innovative national clinical research network funded jointly by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/National Institute on Aging (U19NS115388) to address post-stroke cognitive impairment and dementia in diverse US populations.

Rost is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and co-author of the MGH Handbook of Neurology. She is the recipient of the 2012 Michael S. Pessin Stroke Leadership Award from the American Academy of Neurology, 2017 MGH Neurology Department’s Ray Adams Clinical Mentor Award, and 2021 Leading in Excellence Through Mentorship Award from the AAN Leadership Program. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and American Heart Association, former president of the Boston Board of the American Heart Association (2014-2016), scientific chair of the 2022 NINDS Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias Summit, and she serves as associate editor of the journal Stroke.

Among her professional accomplishments, Rost is particularly proud of her career-long service to the American Academy of Neurology, where she currently serves as president elect and vice chair of the Brain Health Committee, including her key leadership role in the AAN’s Brain Health Initiative.