Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, Immediate Past President of the American Academy of Neurology, is a practicing neurologist with offices in Tarrytown and Carmel, New York. She is the current Editor-in-Chief of Brain & Life, and the former Editor-in-Chief of the American Academy of Neurology Website. She served as Medical Director at Consumer Reports between 2015-2018 and as a medical editor from 2008-2018. Dr. Avitzur received her undergraduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University, and her medical degree from The Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine, where, upon graduation, she received the Merck Award for Academic Excellence. She completed her neurology residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and chairs the Yale Neurology Alumni Association. Dr. Avitzur is certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN).

Her specialty interests include back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve entrapments, headaches, migraines, and women’s health. She serves as a medical consultant for the New York Rangers, and holds academic appointments at Yale University School of Medicine and New York Medical College.

Dr. Avitzur is the recipient of the 2009 American Academy of Neurology Journalism Fellowship Award, and several APEX Awards for writing. She also writes and speaks frequently about consumer health, patient safety and the proactive patient, and medical practice issues. She is the former chair of the American Academy of Neurology Medical Economics and Management Committee and serves on the Board of Directors. To hear more about her professional journey, read From Writer to President: The Road Less Traveled.