Tanuja Chitnis MD, MA, FAAN, FANA

Dr. Tanuja Chitnis is a Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a senior neurologist specializing in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunological research. She serves as the incumbent Cindy Larsen Chugg Distinguished Chair in Neurology and Vice Chair of Clinical Neuroscience Research at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles in the MS field and has received funding from the Department of Defense, NIH, National MS Society, industry sponsors, and additional foundations. 

Her primary research focus is on studying predictors and modulators of the disease course of MS and neuroimmunological diseases, including clinical and neuroimaging features as well as immunological and hormonal markers. Dr. Chitnis has conducted pioneering work in biomarkers and precision medicine for multiple sclerosis, sponsored in part by the Department of Defense. She has chaired the ACTRIMS meetings on this theme from 2019 to 2020, and the theme was summarized in a special edition of the Multiple Sclerosis Journal.

Dr. Chitnis serves as the Director of the CLIMB Natural History study at the Brigham MS Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), which follows over 2,000 MS patients longitudinally, providing an important data source for precision medicine studies.

In addition, in her role as the Director of the Mass General Brigham Pediatric MS Center at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGH), and the Chair of the International Pediatric MS Study group (2010-2018), she has led several initiatives in the study of MS in children. Dr. Chitnis has led several clinical trials in pediatric MS, including the first FDA-approved treatment for this disease. She is currently working on clinical trials for progressive forms of MS. 

Most recently, she has contributed to understanding the neuroimmunological mechanisms underlying neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD). 

Clinically, as a Senior Neurologist, she specializes in MS, practicing at the Brigham MS Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and as the Director of the Mass General Brigham Pediatric MS Center, Massachusetts General Hospital.