Welcome, Dr. Julie Pilitsis!

I am thrilled to welcome leading neurosurgeon and physician-scientist, Julie G. Pilitsis, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., to Florida Atlantic University! Dr. Pilitsis begins her new role as dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs today.

Prior to joining FAU, Dr. Pilitsis served the Albany Medical College in New York as division chief of functional neurosurgery and chair and professor of the basic neuroscience department. During her tenure, she made astounding national advancements in medicine, education, advocacy and research. As division chief of functional neurosurgery, Dr. Pilitsis successfully developed the service line of functional neurosurgery, a subspecialty of neurosurgery aimed at improving quality of life, which includes multidisciplinary pain/movement disorders teams. The group currently performs 650 operative procedures each year.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than a decade, Dr. Pilitsis served as a principal investigator on several grants exceeding $7 million. She has received more than $2.5 million in grant funding from industry partners and holds three patents, as well as two filed patent applications.

In addition to her outstanding qualifications, Dr. Pilitsis is a strong supporter of interdisciplinary collaboration and has mentored more than 150 students through translational research projects to date. Her passion for guiding both students and junior faculty will play an essential role in further expanding the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine as a world-class medical program of unparalleled research.

In her new role at FAU, Dr. Pilitsis will focus on several key initiatives for the Schmidt College of Medicine. Namely, developing a more a diverse and inclusive community within the college; ensuring student and program success; furthering the college’s vibrant research focus on healthy aging, geriatrics and neuroscience, chronic pain and opioid use, and genomics and precision medicine; overseeing University medical practices, including FAU Medicine, the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic; and advancing FAU’s overall clinical research footprint.

With Dr. Julie Pilitsis now officially on board, we look forward to a bright and bold new era for the Schmidt College of Medicine and its dedicated community!