معرفی
David A. Hafler is the William S. and Lois Stiles Edgerly Professor of Neurology and Professor of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, with additional roles as former Chairman of the Department of Neurology and former Neurologist-in-Chief at Yale-New Haven Hospital. His career spans over four decades as a NIH-funded investigator, training more than 90 individuals in immunology and neurological research.
- Education: B.S. and M.Sc. in Biochemistry (Emory University, 1974), MD (University of Miami, 1978)
- Training: Internship (Johns Hopkins), Neurology Residency (Cornell), Immunology Training (Rockefeller and Harvard)
Dr. Hafler's research focuses on autoimmune disease pathogenesis, particularly multiple sclerosis, where he discovered human regulatory T cells and demonstrated environmental-genetic interactions (e.g., salt-induced T cell activation). His work extends to cancer immunology, Parkinson's disease, and neuroimmunology.
Recent publications highlight his contributions to neuroimmunology, including gut-brain axis interactions (2025 Nature), immune cell dysfunction in melanoma (2024 Nature Immunology), and autoimmune disease genetics (2024 Nature Genetics). His lab employs single-cell sequencing and multi-omics approaches.
- Scientific Honors
- Jacob Javits Merit Award (NIH)
- Dystel Prize for MS Research
- AAI Steinman Award (2023)
- National Academy of Medicine
- Alpha Omega Alpha Society
As Principal Investigator on multiple clinical trials and director of the Hafler Lab, he explores mechanisms in MS, neuroinflammation, and immune regulation. His work bridges basic science, clinical translation, and patient care.