Stephen G. Waxman is a world-renowned neuroscientist whose pioneering work has transformed our understanding of neural conduction mechanisms and pain pathways. He currently holds the distinguished position of Bridget Flaherty Professor of Neurology, Neurobiology, and Pharmacology at Yale University School of Medicine, where he has been a leading figure since 1986. After earning his BA from Harvard University and MD/PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he completed postdoctoral training at MIT and clinical training at Harvard Medical School before establishing his independent research career. Dr. Waxman served as Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Yale for over two decades from 1986 to 2009 during which time he founded the Neuroscience & Regeneration Research Center that he continues to direct today.
Dr. Waxman's groundbreaking research has defined the ion channel architecture of nerve fibers and demonstrated its critical importance for neural conduction with his seminal 1982 Science paper on sodium channel plasticity in demyelinated axons fundamentally changing how we understand recovery in multiple sclerosis. His laboratory made the pivotal discovery of the molecular identity of sodium channels that restore impulse conduction in MS published in PNAS in 2004 which opened new therapeutic avenues for neurological disorders. His translational work bridging molecular genetics and human pain mechanisms including the landmark 2006 PNAS paper demonstrating the role of ion channels in human pain has been cited over 60000 times across his more than 800 publications. Most recently his research identified an ion channel that controls joint degeneration in osteoarthritis published in Nature in 2024 while his earlier work has propelled the development of a new class of pain medications that avoid addiction currently in Phase II clinical trials.
As editor-in-chief of The Neuroscientist Dr. Waxman has shaped scholarly discourse in neuroscience while mentoring generations of researchers who now lead laboratories worldwide. His leadership of the international coalition that identified sodium channel mutations as causes of peripheral neuropathy has established new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients suffering from chronic pain conditions. Dr. Waxman continues to pioneer research on pain resilience genes and their potential applications for developing novel pain treatments with his laboratory remaining at the forefront of translating molecular discoveries into clinical applications. With an H-index of 126 and citations surpassing 97000 his work remains profoundly influential as he directs his research toward understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological disorders and developing targeted therapies that improve human health.
