Dr. W. Dalton Dietrich

Dr. W. Dalton Dietrich is Scientific Director at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Kinetic Concepts Distinguished Chair in Neurosurgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. from the Medical College of Virginia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University. In 1981 Dr. Dietrich was recruited to the University of Miami and in 1997 became the Scientific Director of The Miami Project. He also serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Discovery Science and the Co-Director of the Neural Engineering Institute. Dr. Dietrich’s laboratory is focused on clarifying the pathophysiology of brain and spinal cord injury with the goal of developing and translating new therapies to protect and enhance recovery. Dr. Dietrich and colleagues investigate several neurological disorders including stroke, traumatic brain, spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative disorders. He is the Sponsor of a first-in-man FDA approved clinical trial testing the safety and benefits of human Schwann Cell transplants in people with spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury. His research programs are supported by the NIH, Department of Defense, State of Florida and various Foundations. In 2023 Dr. Dietrich received the NIH Javits Neuroscience Award for demonstrating scientific excellence and productivity in neurological research. He has published over 450 peer reviewed publications and mentors graduate and postdoctoral fellows. He serves on several study sections and is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Therapeutic Hypothermia & Temperature Management and Deputy Editor of the Journal of Neurotrauma.