Monica Maria Diaz

Monica Maria Diaz, M.D., M.S. is an Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Division of MS/Neuroimmunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. She serves as Co-Director of the Global Health Neurology Elective Rotation and Vice Chair for the American Academy of Neurology, Global Health Section. Dr. Diaz completed her neurology residency at Yale and neuro-infectious/MS/neuroimmunology fellowship at UC San Diego.

Her clinical practice focuses on multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, neuromyelitis optica, neurosarcoidosis, viral or antibody-mediated encephalitis, HIV-related neurological conditions, neurocysticercosis, and post-COVID-19 neurological complications. She sees patients in the MS and transverse myelitis clinics at UNC, providing care to individuals with autoimmune and infectious diseases affecting the nervous system.

Dr. Diaz has extensive research experience in Latin America, having lived and worked in Peru intermittently since 2019 through an NIH Fogarty fellowship. Her research interests include the epidemiology of HIV-associated neurological conditions, multiple sclerosis and demyelinating disorders, cognitive impairment in persons with HIV or multiple sclerosis, and neurological care in international settings. She co-directs a bilateral neurology resident rotation between UNC and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru.

Her recent publications demonstrate expertise across several key areas: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, multiple sclerosis, global neurology, and neurological complications of infectious diseases. Her work often focuses on underrepresented populations, particularly in Latin America, and addresses health disparities in neurological care. She has published extensively on cognitive impairment in HIV-positive individuals, neurological manifestations of infectious diseases, and innovative approaches to neurological education.

Dr. Diaz has received board certification in Neurology from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (November 2019). Her educational background includes a Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York – Downstate College of Medicine, a Masters of Science from the Medical University of South Carolina, an Internship in Internal Medicine from Louisiana State University Medical Center, Residency in Neurology from Yale University, and Fellowships in Neuroinfectious Diseases/Neuroimmunology and Global Health from UC San Diego and the NIH Fogarty International Center/Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, respectively.

She is actively involved in global health initiatives, particularly through her work in Peru, where she leads studies aimed at improving neurological outcomes in Latin America, including research on dementia epidemiology, cognitive impairment in Peruvians living with HIV, and transverse myelitis in Peru. Her work bridges clinical practice, research, and international collaboration to address neurological health disparities.