Newswise — Henry Ford Health System has appointed its new Chair of the Department of Neurology. Stephan Mayer, M.D., F.C.C.M., joined the health system effective Feb. 1, 2017.

Mayer joins Henry Ford from Mount Sinai Health System in New York, where he served as the Director of Neurocritical Care and was also the Founding Director of the Institute for Critical Care Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. Before Mount Sinai, Mayer was the Director of Neurological Intensive Care Unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center. He has published more than 800 journal articles, books, case reports, book chapters, and abstracts.

“Dr. Mayer is an internationally renowned leader in neurocritical care,” said William Conway, M.D., CEO, Henry Ford Medical Group. “His clinical innovations are unmatched and we also admire his productivity in designing and executing clinical trials. With Henry Ford being the fourth largest NIH-funded research institution in Michigan, it’s an ideal fit, and we are proud to welcome Dr. Mayer.”

Dr. Mayer was the principal investigator of the FAST Trial, a worldwide multicenter clinical trial evaluating ultra-early hemostatic therapy for brain hemorrhage. He also served as principal investigator of the NIH-funded New York Presbyterian Hospital hub of the Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials (NETT) Network. NETT is a program designed to encourage collaboration between emergency medicine physicians and specialists in order to facilitate participation in high-quality clinical trials in multiple types of emergency neurological disorders affecting both children and adults. Henry Ford Hospital is also a NETT hub.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be selected to lead the Department of Neurology at Henry Ford at this crucial juncture,” said Stephan Mayer, M.D., F.C.C.M. “We are on the threshold of introducing exciting new breakthrough treatments for stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, and a variety of other neurological disorders. Moving forward, we will build on Henry Ford’s long tradition of innovation and strive to become a national leader in the development of neurological therapeutics.”

Dr. Mayer recently served as one of two new co-editors for Merritt’s Neurology, 13th Edition (Wolters Kluwer, 2016). He was a founding member and past president of the Neurocritical Care Society. He has been honored with numerous awards over the past decade, including the Society of Critical Care Medicine Neuroscience Specialty Award. He has been named to “Best Doctors in America” and “Best Doctors, Neurology/Neurocritical Care” (New York Metro Region) annually since 2003. He was also the recipient of the American Heart Association’s New York City Chapter Lifesaver Award. His work in helping to organize therapeutic hypothermia for victims of cardiac arrest in New York City was recently featured in the book Cheating Death, by CNN medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Dr. Mayer is a graduate of Brown University and received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. He completed his medical internship, neurology residency, and neurocritical care fellowship training at Columbia University Medical Center.