James O. McNamara, M.D.
Executive Chairman
Dr. McNamara is a co-founder of NeurOp and has been intimately involved in the operations of the company since its inception. He has been a faculty member at Duke University for over 50 years, where he holds the positions of Duke School of Medicine Professor of Neurosciences in the Departments of Neurobiology, Neurology, and Pharmacology. Dr. McNamara’s research seeks to elucidate the mechanisms of epileptogenesis, the process by which a normal brain becomes epileptic. He led clinical programs in epilepsy at both the Durham Veterans Affairs and Duke University Medical Centers. He also served as Chair of the Department of Neurobiology in the Duke University School of Medicine. He has served as President of the American Epilepsy Society and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2005. He has received two Javits Neuroscience Investigator awards from the NIH and a Freedom to Discover Award from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. He is a highly regarded leader in neurology and neuroscience, having authored more than 300 publications and abstracts, and has contributed to leading textbooks in the field.