Ali Rezai

Ali Rezai, MD is a pioneering neurosurgeon who has devoted his career to advancing the treatment of neurological and mental health conditions. He is Director of the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) and Associate Dean of Neuroscience at West Virginia University. Since establishing the RNI in 2018, he has developed the organization into a global leader in patient care, education, and research with over 2,500 team members and 400,000 patient visits annually.

Over his career, Dr. Rezai has leveraged neuromodulation innovations using deep brain stimulation and focused ultrasound to treat Parkinsons’ and Alzheimer’s disease, addiction and other neurological conditions. His is currently developing focused ultrasound technologies for treatments of drug, alcohol and food addictions as well as an AI guided digital health technologies for disease management. He holds more than 80 U.S. patents and led breakthrough collaborations with academic, government, and industry partners. Dr. Rezai has authored over 300 publications (h-index 104), and delivered over 700 invited lectures worldwide, including the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference, Aspen Ideas Festival, Collision, SXSW, and Web Summit.

Beyond his research and clinical achievements, he actively contributes to national health policy discussions at the Federal and State governments and has presented his research to the President of the United States, members of Congress, Governors, the Secretary of the HHS, and NIH Directors. His work has been featured in top mainstream media, including ABC, AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, Good Morning America, NBC, PBS, The New York Times, The Today Show, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Wired Magazine.

Please note that speakers provide their own biographies and headshots. Biographies represent the role of the person at the time of their engagement and are not independently verified by the Milken Institute.