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Jaffar Khan named chair of Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine
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Jennifer Johnson McEwen
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Dr. Jaffar Khan

Jaffar Khan, MD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Neurology in the Emory University School of Medicine, effective April 1, 2023. Khan, a professor of neurology, has led the department as interim chair since May 2021.

An Emory Brain Health Center board-certified neurologist with added board certifications in vascular neurology and clinical neurophysiology, Khan provides clinical care for Emory Healthcare and the Grady Health System.

Khan completed his neurology residency in 1997 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after graduating from Louisiana State University Medical Center. Following his residency, he pursued a one-year fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Emory and has been a member of the faculty since 1988.

During his time at Emory, Khan has been a medical education leader, building teams and advocating for both faculty and student education. He established leadership roles in post-graduate medical education and served as director of the neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship training programs. 

“Under Dr. Khan’s guidance and leadership, I am confident the Department of Neurology will continue to make signficant contributions to the field of neuroscience and push the boundaries of innovation and excellence in patient care," says Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, executive vice president for health affairs at Emory University. 

In his role overseeing medical student education across the neurosciences, Khan served as the Department of Neurology’s vice chair for Medical Education from 2010 to 2023. He supervised medical students, residents and other trainees during their rotations on the inpatient, consult and outpatient services at Emory and Grady and served as assistant dean for Graduate Medical Education at Grady from December 2016 to 2021.   

"I am delighted that Dr. Khan will be the chairman of the Department of Neurology. Jaffar is an nationally recognized clinician-educator who is extremely collaborative and passionate about improving outcomes of persons with neurological diseases through patient care, education and research," says Carlos del Rio, MD, interim dean, Emory School of Medicine.

Khan is a 2011 Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and received the organization’s Award for Dedicated Service from 2011-2013. His success as a clinician educator is exemplified by his receipt of more than 20 institutional and national teaching awards for his efforts at the medical student and residency levels, including the 2016 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the AAN’s 2013 Clerkship Directors Teaching Award and the AAN’s 2012 Residency Program Director Award. Most recently, his dedication to teaching was acknowledged with his receipt of the 2021 Emory Provost’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Education. 

Khan’s national leadership experience includes roles as current chair of the ACGME’s Review Committee for Neurology, chair of the AAN’s Graduate Education Subcommittee, chair of the Consortium of Neurology Program Directors, vice chair for AAN’s Education Committee and board of director member and treasurer of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.


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