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Garden named Chair of the Department of Neurology

Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD
Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD

Gwenn Garden, MD, PhD, has been named Chair of the UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, effective Aug. 19. Garden comes to UNC from the University of Washington where she currently serves as Vice Chair of the Department of Neurology.

Larry Marks, MD, has served as Interim Chair of Neurology since May 1, 2018, following the retirement of William Powers, MD, who served as chair for the previous 11 years.

Garden completed her undergraduate education at Northwestern University and received her MD and a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Washington.

Following residency training and a research fellowship and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Longwood Neurology Training Program, Garden joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2000 and has served in her role as Vice Chair since 2013. She is an active clinician providing inpatient care and neurological consultations at the University of Washington Medical Center.

“I am excited to join current and future faculty in the UNC Department of Neurology as we endeavor to expand activities in education, research, and clinical care while also increasing collaboration with other departments and programs across UNC,” Garden said.

Garden’s research focus is neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and dementia. Her research aim is to elucidate the cellular interactions that occur between immune and neural cells in the setting of ischemia, trauma, seizures, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Her laboratory has earned significant NIH funding and produced an extensive bibliography of publications. She also serves as Co-Director of the Clinical Translational Core at the University of Washington’s Center on Human Development and Disability.

“We look forward to welcoming Dr. Garden to Chapel Hill. Her skills as a clinician, researcher, and leader will be a great asset to our Department of Neurology and our School of Medicine,” said Wesley Burks, MD, Dean of the UNC School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health Care. “As we celebrate Dr. Garden, we must also recognize and thank Dr. Larry Marks for the outstanding job he has done in the role of Interim Chair for the last year.”