William T. Dauer, M.D., is the inaugural Director of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and a Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at UT Southwestern Medical Center. A neurologist acclaimed for his research into dystonia and Parkinson’s disease, he holds the Lois C.A. and Darwin E. Smith Distinguished Chair in Neurological Mobility Research. He earned his medical degree at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. After completing an internship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, he became a neurology resident and fellow in movement disorders at Columbia University. He pursued postdoctoral work in the Columbia laboratory of René Hen, Ph.D., where he studied the resistance of alpha-synuclein null mice to a toxin that can provoke Parkinson’s in humans.
For nearly two decades, Dr. Dauer’s groundbreaking research has been focused on the molecular basis of dystonia and the mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. His findings have elucidated the critical role of the torsinA protein in the progression of dystonia, which is marked by disabling, involuntary movements. Studies taking place under his direction focused on the neurobiologic basis of falls in Parkinson’s disease are being used to pioneer a novel therapy for this currently untreatable symptom.
Prior to joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 2019, Dr. Dauer served as Director of the Movement Disorders Group and Director of the Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research at the University of Michigan, where he was also a Professor of Neurology and Cell and Developmental Biology.
He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and his work has been recognized with the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation’s Fahn Award and the Harold and Golden Lamport Award for excellence in clinical science research from Columbia University.
