Stephen Goutman

Stephen Goutman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. He serves as the Director of the University of Michigan Pranger ALS Clinic, which is an ALS Association Certified Center of Excellence. His clinical and research work is exclusively focused on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease.

Dr. Goutman's primary research interests include identifying environmental risk factors for ALS, particularly examining the relationship between cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and ALS mortality. His work investigates genetic and environmental interactions that alter susceptibility to ALS, with special focus on Michigan which has some of the highest rates of ALS in the country. He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the ALS Association for his epidemiologic studies collecting exposure surveys and biofluids from individuals with and without ALS.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, where he has contributed to multiple studies evaluating different therapeutic approaches including verdiperstat, CNM-Au8, pridopidine, and zilucoplan. His work spans from basic science investigations of immune system changes and lipid metabolism in ALS to clinical trials and healthcare delivery research. His research has shown important links between environmental exposures like pesticides and cyanobacterial blooms and ALS progression and mortality.

Dr. Goutman serves as site principal investigator for multiple multi-site clinical trials focused on identifying new ALS treatments and has nearly a decade of experience leading ALS clinical trials at the University of Michigan. He is an active participant with the Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) and collaborates extensively with researchers across the country on ALS-related projects.

His laboratory and clinical work has generated significant media attention, with multiple news outlets covering his research on the connection between living near bodies of water with harmful algal blooms and increased ALS mortality rates. This research has important implications for understanding environmental triggers of ALS and potentially preventing the disease.