Darin Okuda MD, MSc, FAAN, FANA

Darin T. Okuda, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Neurology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is a clinician-scientist specializing in multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system. Dr. Okuda serves as Director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Imaging Program, Director of Neuroinnovation, and Deputy Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program and Clinical Center for Multiple Sclerosis at UT Southwestern.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Dr. Okuda earned his undergraduate, graduate, and medical degrees at the University of Hawaii. He completed his residency training in neurology at the Barrow Neurological Institute and performed his fellowship in neuroimmunology at the University of California-San Francisco Multiple Sclerosis Center.

Dr. Okuda’s current research focuses on improving the diagnostic capabilities for multiple sclerosis. He is nationally and internationally recognized for his recent work in defining and investigating the radiologically isolated syndrome. He currently directs scientific strategies within the Radiologically Isolated Syndrome Consortium (RISC), a multinational working group involving 10 countries, focused on advancing the science in the very early forms of multiple sclerosis.

In addition to this work, Dr. Okuda’s background involves translational research specific to therapeutics aimed at MS symptom management. He has also designed highly successful technological applications and platforms for research and patient care. He currently serves as a technological advisor to several start-ups and existing Fortune 500 companies.

Dr. Okuda is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Inc., a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, a Fellow of the American Neurological Association, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology Committees on Neuroimaging and Ethics. Dr. Okuda’s work has been published in the Annals of Neurology, Neurology, Human Molecular Genetics, Brain, Journal of NeuroImaging, Proceedings of the National American Academy of Sciences, and Science.