Daniel Ontaneda MD, PhD, FAAN

Daniel Ontaneda, MD, Ph.D. FAAN is a professor of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and a staff neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis. He is the Director of Research at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis.

His research focuses on clinical trials and translating MRI into clinical practice. Dr. Ontaneda is the lead principal investigator for a large international multicenter study examining early highly effective versus escalation approaches in multiple sclerosis (DELIVER-MS). He is also the Principal investigator for the Central Vein Study in MS, a multi-center trial funded by NIH/NINDS (U01) examining the role of the central vein in the diagnosis of MS.

Dr. Ontaneda leads the Cleveland Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Brain Donation Program in Collaboration with Dr. Bruce Trapp, where research focuses on translating MRI pathological studies for in-vivo applications. He is a member of the Executive Steering Committee for the North American Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis Cooperative (NAIMS) and the Latin American Committee for Research in MS (LACTRIMS) and is a board member of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ACTRIMS). Dr. Ontaneda’s research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Race to Erase Foundation, Department of Defense, and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Dr. Ontaneda was the recipient of a Sylvia Lawry NMSS Clinical Fellowship Award and an NIH KL2 CTSA career transition award. Dr. Ontaneda is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and is a member of the editorial board of JAMA Neurology.

Dr. Ontaneda received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Science in Clinical Research from Case Western Reserve University. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. He then completed his neurology residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and his Neuroimmunology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research. Dr. Ontaneda currently sees patients at the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis and attends general neurology service at the Cleveland Clinic. He is the Neuroimmunology Fellowship co-director and also sits on the Residency Education Committee. He mentors, medical students, residents, and fellows in research activities.