Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D.

Daniel Geschwind is the Gordon and Virginia MacDonald Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Human Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In his capacity as senior associate dean and associate vice chancellor of Precision Health, he leads the Institute for Precision Health at UCLA. In his laboratory, his group has pioneered the application of systems biology methods based on functional genomics in neurologic and psychiatric disease.

Geschwind has focused primarily on understanding disease mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurodegenerative conditions. His laboratory has made major contributions to identifying genetic causes of ASD, defining the molecular pathology of ASD and allied psychiatric disorders, and has worked to increase diversity in autism research.

Geschwind sits on editorial boards of Cell, Science and Neuron and is among the highest cited neurologists in the world. He has received several awards for his laboratory’s work, including the American Neurological Association’s Derek Denny-Brown Neurological Scholar Award, most recently the Society of Biological Psychiatry’s Gold Medal Award, the American Academy of Neurology’s 2022 Cotzias Lecture and Award and the Sarnat Award for research in mental health from the National Academy of Medicine, where he has been a member since 2011.