Dr. Kevin J. Tracey stands as a preeminent leader in the field of neuroimmunology and serves as President and CEO of The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, where he holds the Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. He concurrently serves as Professor of Neurosurgery and Molecular Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell and as Executive Vice President of Research at Northwell Health, demonstrating exceptional leadership across academic medicine and institutional research. His distinguished career began with summa cum laude graduation from Boston College with a chemistry degree in 1979, followed by his MD from Boston University in 1983, after which he completed neurosurgery training at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center through 1992. His early research as a guest investigator at the Rockefeller University laid the groundwork for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding the neural control of inflammation.
Dr. Tracey's revolutionary discovery of the molecular and neural mechanisms by which the brain and vagus nerve control peripheral immune responses fundamentally transformed our understanding of the neuroimmune interface and launched the pioneering field of bioelectronic medicine. His identification of the inflammatory reflex pathway enabled the development of novel therapeutic approaches that replace conventional anti-inflammatory drugs with targeted nerve stimulation, with his research directly translated into the first clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. As an inventor holding more than 120 United States patents and author of over 450 scientific publications, his work has generated substantial clinical impact while establishing a new paradigm showing that specific neuronal circuits can precisely regulate innate immunity. This foundational research has catalyzed an entirely new approach to treating inflammatory diseases through electrical modulation of neural circuits rather than pharmacological intervention.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Tracey has profoundly shaped the global research landscape through his co-founding of the Global Sepsis Alliance, which supports over one million sepsis caregivers across more than 70 countries, demonstrating his commitment to improving patient outcomes worldwide. His entrepreneurial spirit has driven the creation of multiple biotechnology companies, including SetPoint Medical, which leads the development of vagus nerve stimulation technology for inflammatory conditions. As a prolific author of influential scientific literature including the book Fatal Sequence, he continues to advance the field through his leadership as Editor-in-Chief of Bioelectronic Medicine and Advisory Editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine. His current research focuses on expanding the clinical applications of bioelectronic medicine while training the next generation of scientists in this rapidly evolving discipline that bridges neuroscience and immunology.
