Holloway Appointed New Chair of Neurology

Robert G. Holloway, Jr., M.D., M.P.H. has been tapped as the next chair of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Neurology. Holloway had been serving as interim chair of the department since last July and his permanent appointment is effective immediately.  

“Dr. Holloway is the epitome of the academic ‘triple threat,’ said Mark Taubman, M.D., dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.   “His skills as a physician, researcher, and educator will enable the department to grow and meet the twin challenges of health care reform and an increasingly competitive national environment for research funding.” “Bob has played an integral role in many of the Medical Center’s signature initiatives and I am deeply grateful that he has agreed to take on this new responsibility and lead the Department of Neurology.”

In addition to his position in Neurology, Holloway is also a professor of Public Health Sciences, director of the Research, Education, and Career Development Function of the URMC Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), and principal investigator of the URMC’s NIH-funded NeuroNEXT clinical research program.

“URMC has been my home since 1990 and it is an honor and privilege to be able to serve this institution and the Department of Neurology,” said Holloway. “We have great opportunities to build on the legacy of talent and accomplishments of this great department and medical center.   I look forward to working with the leadership, faculty, and my colleagues to strengthen existing and creating new academic programs to improve the lives of patients and families with neurological disorders. We are poised to do great things and I truly embrace the opportunities and challenges of our future together.”

Holloway – whose appointment to the position is pending final approval from the University Board of Trustees – will oversee a department that has consistently ranked among the top ten in the nation in research funding from the National Institutes of Health and serves as a hub for several international networks of researchers seeking new treatments for neurological disorders. 

The URMC Department of Neurology’s clinical enterprise is one the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in the country and its expertise across the sub-specialties of neurological care attracts patients from across the globe. The department is currently ranked among the top programs in the nation by US News & World Report.

Holloway has targeted several priority areas for future growth. These include:

• Expanding key inpatient and outpatient clinical programs; building a stronger regional presence and partnerships with collaborating practices, hospitals, and health systems ;
• Strengthening the department’s focus on early translational research and clinical trials while expanding its reach across the region and globe and collaboration with the neuroscience community, the CTSI, the DelMonte Neuromedicine Institute, and the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics; and
• Maintaining and expanding educational and training programs in neurocritical care, clinical and translational research, and international health. 

Holloway has already recruited nine new faculty members to the department, including specialists in stroke, epilepsy, general neurology, neurocritical care, multiple sclerosis, child neurology, and movement disorders during his tenure as interim chair.

Holloway is a master clinician and considers himself a general neurologist with broad interests in those serious neurological illnesses that can greatly impact longevity and quality of life, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. His research interests include clinical trials for neurological conditions, technology assessments of neurological practices and policies, and methods to improve the quality and safety of medical care. He has committed his career to improving the patient-centeredness of neurological care with a particular focus on improving communication and decision-making among patients, their families, and physicians. 

Holloway has written more than 120 manuscripts and editorials, is co-editor of the books Case Studies in Neuroscience and Primer of Palliative Care, and is associate editor of Neurology Today, a twice monthly publication that reaches more than 20,000 practicing physicians and researchers.

Holloway received his undergraduate and medical degrees and medical training from the University of Connecticut. He conducted his residency in neurology and received his Masters in Public Health from the University of Rochester. He is certified in both neurology and hospice and palliative medicine.