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Biographies

Ali Rezai, MD

John D. Rockefeller IV Chair in Neuroscience Executive Chair, Vice President and Associate Dean

Ali Rezai, MD, is the executive chair of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, associate dean of Neuroscience and the John D. Rockefeller IV Chair at West Virginia University. A neuroscientist and practicing neurosurgeon, Dr. Rezai’s clinical areas of expertise include the neurosurgical management of Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and behavioral disorders. His work at the Institute also targets important societal health challenges such as Alzheimer’s disease and addiction.

Dr. Rezai has led teams that have pioneered groundbreaking techniques and treatments such as neuromodulation and brain implants to treat traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, headaches, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological disorders. His work has been widely recognized: the brain-computer interface to treat paralysis was published in the Journal Nature in 2016 and also generated front-page news in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. In October 2018 the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute team and its partners conducted the first phase II human trial to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease using an innovative focused ultrasound technology.

Dr. Rezai has authored more than 220 scientific publications, has received several awards for innovation, and currently holds 55 US patents. His research in neuromodulation has led to novel therapeutic applications and medical device technology. He has trained more than 50 fellows and presented findings in neuroscience and brain health to the President of the United States and the United States Congress.


Dr. Ali Rezai
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Clay Marsh, MD

Vice President & Executive Dean for Health Sciences

A national leader in personalized medicine and in pulmonary and critical care medicine, Marsh has concentrated his efforts in determining how to help individuals stay healthy and how to create ecosystems to make this easy.

Marsh is a two-time graduate of West Virginia University, earning an undergraduate degree in biology in 1981 and a medical degree in 1985.

From 1985 to 2015 he was at The Ohio State University. He served a residency in internal medicine; a research fellowship in pulmonary and critical care, a chief residency in internal medicine; a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine; and an extension research fellowship in pulmonary and critical care. As a faculty member, he held a wide range of teaching, clinical, research, and administrative roles at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, including as vice dean for research and, most recently, vice dean for innovation in the College of Medicine. In this position, he established OSU’s IDEA Studio in Healthcare and Design.

Marsh’s research has focused on defining the underlying mechanisms that determine health and disease. His research interests include the molecular regulation of longevity and epigenetic controls of aging. He holds more than 20 patents or patent disclosures. He has mentored more than 50 MD, MD/PhD and PhD doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers and junior faculty, and won a number of Ohio State teaching awards. He has been responsible for more than $20 million in National Institutes of Health funding as principal investigator, co-PI, co-investigator, and mentor, and has published more than 140 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

He serves on national scientific advisory committees for organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Thoracic Society, the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline and Caris Life Sciences. He is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

In response to the challenges of the new coronavirus COVID-19, Marsh was appointed as “COVID-19 czar” by Gov. Jim Justice. In his role, Marsh coordinates the state’s response to the challenges of the new coronavirus, collaborating with federal, state and local agencies, health officials, researchers and other agencies helping with the effort. In addition, Marsh also advocates for the personal responsibilities of West Virginia’s citizens to help lower the spread of infection of COVID-19 across the state.


Dr. Clay Marsh
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Albert L. Wright Jr., PharmD, MHA

President and CEO West Virginia University Health System and West Virginia University Hospitals

Mr. Wright is the president and CEO of the West Virginia University Health System, West Virginia’s largest employer and the state’s leading provider of advanced specialty care.

Having previously served in several senior-level positions at UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ohio Health in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Wright came to the health system in 2014 to serve as president and CEO of West Virginia University Hospitals, the health system’s 690-bed flagship and the state’s leading academic medical center. He then became the health system’s chief operating officer while continuing to serve as the hospital CEO. In August 2016 – two years after his arrival – he was named the health system’s chief executive.

Mr. Wright obtained his B.S. degree in pharmacy at the University of Toledo, a Master of Health Administration at The Ohio State University, and his Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. He is involved in several charitable and civic organizations, serves on several boards, and is a soccer coach on the weekends. He and his wife, Joy, have four children.


albert wright
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