Dr. Bradley F. Boeve is a preeminent neurologist and internationally recognized authority in neurodegenerative disorders and sleep medicine. He currently serves as Chair of Behavioral Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he also holds the distinction of the Little Family Foundation Professorship in Lewy Body Dementia. After earning his medical degree from the University of Florida, Dr. Boeve completed comprehensive training at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, including residency in neurology and dual fellowships in behavioral neurology and sleep medicine. He joined the Mayo Clinic staff in 1997 and has since established himself as a world-class clinician-scientist with exceptional expertise in complex cognitive and sleep disorders. In addition to his clinical leadership, Dr. Boeve serves as co-director of the Clinical Core of Mayo's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, where he has developed an integrated program bridging patient care with innovative research initiatives.
Dr. Boeve's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed understanding of the critical relationship between REM sleep behavior disorder and neurodegenerative conditions, particularly synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. His seminal contributions to establishing international diagnostic criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies have become the clinical standard worldwide, significantly improving early detection and management of this complex condition. With nearly 700 peer-reviewed publications, he has made substantial advances in understanding frontotemporal dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and atypical parkinsonian syndromes, while his leadership in major longitudinal studies like LEFFTDS and NAPS2 has created essential frameworks for tracking disease progression and identifying biomarkers. His work on the prodromal phases of neurodegenerative disorders has positioned him at the forefront of early intervention strategies that could potentially delay or prevent dementia onset.
As coordinating center principal investigator for the Lewy Body Dementia Association Research Centers of Excellence program, Dr. Boeve has been instrumental in building a national network of specialized clinical centers dedicated to advancing care and research for Lewy body dementia. He has mentored numerous neurology residents, fellows, and junior faculty members, shaping the next generation of specialists in behavioral neurology and sleep medicine through his commitment to education and professional development. Currently, Dr. Boeve is pioneering research that integrates novel alpha-synuclein seed amplification assays with comprehensive clinical, biofluid, and neuroimaging data to develop disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson's disease and related synucleinopathies. His ongoing work continues to bridge the gap between fundamental sleep neurophysiology and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, driving innovative approaches to predict, diagnose, and optimally treat cognitive and movement disorders before irreversible damage occurs.
