Geoffrey  S. F.  Ling , MD., Ph.D.

Dr. Ling is a professor and vice-chair of neurology at USUHS and an active duty lieutenant colonel in the Army. He received his B.A. (cum laude) in biology and history from Washington University in St. Louis and completed his Ph.D. in pharmcology at Cornell University-Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He then completed a research post-doctoral fellowship in neuropharmacology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Afterwards, he joined the research faculty of MSKCC and the teaching faculty of Cornell University Medical College. Shortly thereafter, he matriculated to Georgetown University School of Medicine where he obtained his M.D. He completed his internship and neurology residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and a clinical neuro critical care fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He returned to military service after this clinical fellowship and joined the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He became the first director of critical care medicine. Concurrently, he received clinical appointments at WRAMC as the director of neuro critical care and a neurology attending physician. At present, he is the only neuro critical care specialist in the U.S. military.

Dr. Ling is also the director of the neuro trauma laboratory. This multifaceted program is investigating various aspects of traumatic injury on the basic science, applied science and clinical science levels. The group has projects exploring the regulation of neuro inflammation, particularly late effects of early cytokine release in central nervous system, regulation of putative cell cycle regulators, the role of non-MNDA receptors in delayed injury, novel diagnostic tools (imaging, physiologic monitors and ventilators), optimized clinical examination tools for use by medics and human studies on cytokine regulation of inflammation following trauma. Dr. Ling has received numerous national awards and has published many journal articles from these research efforts.

Dr. Ling serves on various NIH committees to include the Advisory Panel of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), pediatric traumatic brain injury study section and as chair of the section on neurotrauma of the PULSE (post resuscitation and utility of life saving efforts) consortium. He is principle advisor to Combat Casualty Care, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and The Office of Naval Research's Resuscitation Branch. He is currently a lead scientific investigator of the Land Mine Mitigation, Behind Body Armor Trauma-Helmet, Medical Treatment of Thermobaric Weapon Injury and Defense Spinal Cord and Column Injury research programs. He serves on the Executive Committee of Critical Care and Emergency Neurology of the American Academy of Neurology and is a board member of the Washington Area Critical Care Society.