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Posted by: The Sumaira Foundation in News & Announcements
The Sumaira Foundation is pleased to welcome Dr. José Avila Ornelas, Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the University of Puerto Rico to join TSF’s international Medical Advisory Board as the first representative of the Caribbean.
Dr. Avila earned his medical degree and doctorate from the Universidad de Guadalajara in Mexico, where he also began his residency training in Neurology. In 2009, he joined the Maxine Mesinger Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in multiple sclerosis and demyelinating disorders in 2014. He later completed his neurology residency at the University District Hospital of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Neurology Residency Program at UPR.
Dr. Avila is a board-certified neurologist and Co-Director of the Puerto Rico Multiple Sclerosis Center, one of the largest MS and demyelinating disease clinics in Puerto Rico. He is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Puerto Rico Academy of Neurology.
His clinical and research interests focus on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) in minority populations, particularly within the Latino community. He has participated in multiple clinical trials, co-authored book chapters and peer-reviewed manuscripts, and has been invited to speak at national and international conferences. Dr. Avila is fluent in English and Spanish.
