Stephen George Waxman (born 1945) is an American

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

and

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...

. He served as Chairman of the Department of Neurology at

Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. The primary te ...

, and Neurologist-in-Chief at Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1986 until 2009. As of 2018, he is the Bridget Flaherty Professor of Neurology, Neurobiology, and Pharmacology at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. He founded the Yale University Neuroscience & Regeneration Research Center in 1988 and is its Director. He previously held faculty positions at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, and

Stanford Medical School Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. This ...

. He is also visiting professor at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. He is the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''

The Neuroscientist ''The Neuroscientist'' is a Peer review, peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Neurology and Neuroscience. The journal's Editor-in-Chief, editor is Stephen G Waxman (Yale University). It has been in publication s ...

'' and ''

Neuroscience Letters ''Neuroscience Letters'' is a biweekly rapid-publication scientific journal for short articles covering all aspects of neuroscience. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', ''Neuroscience Letters'' has a 2020 impact factor The impact f ...

''.

Education

Waxman received his BA from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1967), and his PhD (1970) and MD (1972) degrees from

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

. After finishing medical and graduate school, Waxman trained as a Postdoctoral Fellow at

, a Clinical Fellow at

, and a Resident at

Boston City Hospital The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital, located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and . ...

until 1975.

Research

Waxman has built on the "molecular revolution" to study, at a fundamental level, how

neuron A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. N ...

s and

glial cell Glia, also called glial cells (gliocytes) or neuroglia, are non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system that do not produce electrical impulses. They maintain homeostasis, form mye ...

s work within the normal nervous system, and why they do not work properly in various diseased states. His laboratory studies isolated nerve cells in culture, and rodents with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a model of

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

. These studies have, for example, provided a basis for a clinical trial of the efficacy of

phenytoin Phenytoin (PHT), sold under the brand name Dilantin among others, is an anti-seizure medication. It is useful for the prevention of tonic-clonic seizures (also known as grand mal seizures) and focal seizures, but not absence seizures. The intr ...

, a

sodium channel Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na+) through a cell's membrane. They belong to the superfamily of cation channels and can be classified according to the trigger that opens the channel ...

blocker in patients with

optic neuritis Optic neuritis describes any condition that causes inflammation of the optic nerve; it may be associated with demyelinating diseases, or infectious or inflammatory processes. It is also known as optic papillitis (when the head of the optic nerv ...

. Waxman's studies have combined molecular genetics, molecular biology, and biophysics to show how specific ion channels relate to human pain. He has been a member of an international coalition that showed that sodium channel mutations can be a cause of

peripheral neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy, often shortened to neuropathy, is a general term describing disease affecting the peripheral nerves, meaning nerves beyond the brain and spinal cord. Damage to peripheral nerves may impair sensation, movement, gland, or or ...

. He has used atomic-level modeling to study

pharmacogenomics Pharmacogenomics is the study of the role of the genome in drug response. Its name ('' pharmaco-'' + ''genomics'') reflects its combining of pharmacology and genomics. Pharmacogenomics analyzes how the genetic makeup of an individual affects the ...

, at first in laboratory studies, and then in early studies on genomically guided approaches to the treatment of pain. A novel class of medications that target sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system, and that do not have potential for addiction, is based in part on his work and is currently being assessed in early-stage clinical trials.

Awards and distinctions

Waxman has been the recipient of many distinctions:url=https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/stephen_waxman/ *1973 - Trygve Tuve Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Biomedical Sciences,

NIH The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

*1975 - Research Career Development Award, NINCDS *1987 - Established Investigator,

National Multiple Sclerosis Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...

*1991 - Distinguished Alumnus Award, Albert Einstein College of Medicine *1991 - Fellow,

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chambers ...

*1993 - Member, Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives *1994 - Listed in The Best Doctors in America. *1995 - The Adrian Lecture (Xth International Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology) *1996 - Elected to

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, E ...

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

*1999 - Landmark Award for Biomedical Research *1999 - Wartenberg Award,

American Academy of Neurology The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is a professional society representing over 38,000 neurologists and neuroscientists. As a medical specialty society it was established in 1948 by A.B. Baker of the University of Minnesota to advance the ar ...

*1999 - Honorary Senior Fellow, Institute of Neurology, London *2000 - Dystel Prize for Research on Multiple Sclerosis,

/NMSS *2004 - Reingold Award,

*2005 - Honorary Member,

Association of British Neurologists The Association of British Neurologists is a professional organisation founded in 1932 and expanded to include overseas membership in 1937. The Association produces guidelines for the treatment of neurological conditions. Members At 31 December ...

*2009 - W.I. McDonald Award, British Multiple Sclerosis Society *2009 - William S Middleton Award (highest scientific honor of the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...

, presented at Ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol). *2009 - Annual Review Prize, The Physiological Society (Premier Award of the Society; previous awardees include A.F. Huxley, A.L. Hodgkin) *2013 - Paul B. Magnuson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rehabilitation Research,

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

*2013 - American Neurological Assoc/Annals of Neurology Prize for Distinguished Contribution to Clinical Neuroscience *2014 - Soriano Award,

American Neurological Association The American Neurological Association (ANA) is a professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to advancing the goals of academic neurology; to training and educating neurologists and other physicians in the neurologic ...

*2018 -

Julius Axelrod Julius Axelrod (May 30, 1912 – December 29, 2004) was an American biochemist. He won a share of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1970 along with Bernard Katz and Ulf von Euler. The Nobel Committee honored him for his work on the re ...

Prize,

Society for Neuroscience The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, DC, for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well kn ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waxman, Stephen 1945 births Living people Harvard Medical School alumni Yale School of Medicine faculty American neurologists American neuroscientists American pain physicians Members of the National Academy of Medicine