Jan-Mendelt Tillema

Jan-Mendelt Tillema, M.D., serves as Assistant Professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic with dual appointments as Consultant in the Department of Neurology and Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. His clinical expertise centers on child and adolescent neurology, specializing in multiple sclerosis and demyelinating disorders through the Child and Adolescent Neurology Specialty Group in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Tillema's educational foundation includes:

• MD from Radboud University Nijmegen (2005)
• Research Fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital (2006)
• Child Neurology Residency at Cincinnati Children's/University of Cincinnati (2011)
• Multiple Sclerosis Fellowship at Mayo Clinic (2012)
• Quantitative MRI Scholarship at VU University Medical Center (2013)

His research program integrates quantitative neuroimaging with clinical neurology to develop MRI biomarkers for pediatric white matter diseases. Dr. Tillema employs a multidisciplinary approach combining advanced MRI techniques, clinical data analysis, and bench research to correlate imaging findings with disease severity and disability progression in demyelinating conditions.

Key professional recognitions include:

• NIH-funded KL2 Mentored Career Development Scholar (2014-2017)
• Mayo Clinic Scholar Award (2012-2013)
• American Neurological Association Student Travel Award (2005)

Dr. Tillema directs multiple NIH/National MS Society-funded projects including pediatric data coordination centers, microbiome studies, and risk factor investigations. His research group operates within the Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology, focusing on translating imaging innovations into clinical applications for pediatric neurological disorders. Current initiatives emphasize cortical lesion analysis and biomarker validation across the spectrum of white matter diseases.