Dr. Louis Robert Caplan is a preeminent neurologist and internationally recognized authority in cerebrovascular disease and stroke medicine. He currently serves as Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Senior Physician on the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Stroke Service in Boston. Born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 31, 1936, Dr. Caplan graduated cum laude with a BA in History from Williams College in 1958, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. He earned his MD summa cum laude and served as valedictorian of his class at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1962, completing residency training at Boston City Hospital followed by a cerebrovascular fellowship under Dr. C. Miller Fisher at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Caplan pioneered the Harvard Stroke Registry, establishing one of the most comprehensive stroke databases that has fundamentally shaped clinical practice and research worldwide. He has authored or edited 51 books and published more than 750 scholarly articles in medical journals, with his systematic classification of stroke mechanisms becoming foundational to the field. His rigorous approach to clinical diagnosis of stroke subtypes has significantly enhanced diagnostic accuracy and treatment strategies for clinicians globally. Dr. Caplan has mentored over 75 fellows, including 33 international trainees, cultivating expertise in stroke care across multiple continents and establishing a legacy of cerebrovascular specialists.
As a distinguished leader in neurological medicine, Dr. Caplan has held influential positions including Chair of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association and leadership roles in both the Boston and Chicago Neurological Societies. He has received exceptional recognition through 50 named lectures, most notably the Thomas Willis Lecture (2000), Merritt Lecture (2009), and Wepfer Lecture (2012), honoring his transformative contributions to stroke research. Dr. Caplan has served on the editorial boards of 30 medical journals, ensuring rigorous scientific standards in cerebrovascular publications. His enduring influence continues through his extensive scholarly output, ongoing mentorship, and the worldwide adoption of his clinical frameworks for stroke diagnosis that remain essential to contemporary neurological practice.
