September 2025

NEUROSCIENCES

NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE WELCOMES DR. FARRAH MATEEN AS DIVISION CHIEF OF MS AND NEUROIMMUNOLOGY

Northwestern Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Farrah J. Mateen, MD, PhD, as professor and the new division chief of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology. Dr. Mateen joins us from Harvard Medical School, where she served as an associate professor of Neurology and an associate neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She is from Saskatchewan, Canada, where she earned her medical degree. She completed her adult neurology training at Mayo Clinic before pursuing a fellowship in medical ethics at Harvard University. Dr. Mateen conducted her clinical and research fellowship in neuroimmunology and neurological infections at Johns Hopkins Hospital, supported by the American Brain Foundation. She also obtained her doctorate in international health epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University as a Sommer Scholar.

Research and Clinical Focuses
Dr. Mateen's research focuses on two primary areas.
  • Advancing the understanding MS and related demyelinating diseases to identify new treatments and develop biomarkers for patients
  • Investigating the burden of neurological diseases from a global health perspective, particularly in resource-limited settings in Africa and Asia
Her long-term goal is to enhance neurological care through testing, evidence-based interventions, driven by clinical research.
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In her clinical practice, Dr. Mateen specializes in MS and neuromyelitis optica (NMO), providing care to patients with complex diagnostic and therapeutic needs. She leads several studies on MS, including one focused on the long-term safety of disease-modifying therapies in older age ranges and the use of DMTs in the earliest forms of MS. She is beginning new trials on CAR-T for MS, remyelinating therapies, and other novel agents. Her research also encompasses NMO, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and related central nervous system demyelinating disorders.

As a principal investigator, Dr. Mateen also leads work sponsored by the NIH, including extending diagnosis and capacity building for neuroimmunological diseases in West Africa. Additionally, she completed a phase 2 clinical trial on fluoxetine for post-stroke recovery in Tanzania and a smartphone-based electroencephalography (EEG) project of several hundred patients in multiple resource-limited locations. Her global health initiatives prioritize low-cost technological and repurposed solutions in areas where neurologists are scarce.

Professional Organization Involvement and Collaboration
Dr. Mateen is a member and former chair of the American Neurological Association's Global Engagement Committee and a member and former chair of the American Academy of Neurology's Global Health Section and Ethics Section. She also contributed to the AAN Working Group on Refugees and Asylum Seekers and serves on the steering committee of triMS.online. Her experience includes collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the Polio Eradication Initiative and several NGOs. Dr. Mateen has traveled to more than 35 countries and has published more than 150 academic neurology manuscripts.

We are excited to welcome Dr. Mateen to Northwestern Medicine Neurology and look forward to her contributions to the field.
Farrah J. Mateen, MD, PhD, Division Chief of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology, the Dr. Charles L. Mix Research Professor and Professor of Neurology at Northwestern Medicine

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