David L. Felten

Neuroscientist Class of February 1983
location icon Location
Indianapolis, Indiana
age iconAge
35 at time of award

About David's Work

David Felten is a neuroscientist investigating interactions between the nervous and immune systems, and intervention strategies for neurodegenerative disorders.

Felten’s laboratory has identified direct connections between nerve fibers and cells of the immune system (lymphocytes and macrophages), and is investigating neurotransmitter influences on immune function that may be useful in treating autoimmune disorders, immunosenescence, and states of immunodeficiency.  He and his associates are also examining animal models of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.  They are exploring protective pharmacological strategies to slow neurodegeneration and enhance neural plasticity.

Biography

Felten is the dean of the Seton Hall University’s School of Graduate Medical Education.  He served previously as executive director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and as a professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of California at Irvine (2001-2003).  He was also the director of the Center for Neuroimmunology at the Loma Linda University’s School of Medicine (1998-2001) and the Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine (1993-1998).

Felten earned a B.S. (1969) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.D. (1973) and a Ph.D. (1974) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Recent News

Dr. Felten is currently associate dean of clinical sciences at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences at the North American Administrative Offices in New York, New York.  He is also chair of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and past chairman of the board of Clerisy Corp., a biotech corporation in Pittsford, New York.  Dr. Felten previously served as vice president for research and medical director of the Beaumont Research Institute at the Beaumont Health System in Royal Oak, Michigan, and associate dean for research and clinical research professor (neuroscience) of the newly formed Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Oakland County, Michigan, from October of 2005 to December of 2013.  He oversaw the establishment of a Core Molecular Laboratory, a BioBank, and expansion of the core infrastructure for the Research Institute, and he worked on a daily basis with physicians and bench scientists to help them investigate key clinical questions through clinical translational research.

Dr. Felten is the recipient of two 10-year MERIT Awards from the National Institute of Health, one from the National Institute on Aging and one from the National Institutes of Mental Health, and many other research grants from both federal and nonfederal sources.  He is the author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, many on links between the nervous system and immune system.  His laboratory has systematically investigated the anatomical and neurotransmitter characteristics of peripheral innervation of organs of the immune system and the effects of the innervation and neurotransmitters on immunocyte activities (proliferation, migration, etc.) on innate and acquired immune responses and on immune-related disorders (autoimmune diseases, viral infections, cancers, and others).  He has given more than 100 addresses and presentations at national and international symposia and scientific meetings representing a wide range of scientific disciplines, including many prestigious named lectureships.  He is the lead author of the highly acclaimed Netter’s Atlas of Neuroscience, 3rd edition (Elsevier, 2016), which received two international awards, one from the British Medical Association in Neurology and the other from the Association of Medical Illustrators.  He also is author of Netter’s Neurosciences Flash Cards, 3rd edition (Elsevier, 2016) and is nearing the completion of Netter’s Neurosciences Coloring Book, a text with hands-on coloring exercises that emphasize neural structure and important organizational points and clinical correlations.

Dr. Felten is a non-executive director on the boards of two biotech companies, RxMM Health Ltd. and Clerisy Corp, Inc., and serves as the chairman of their scientific and medical advisory boards.

Updated February 2017.

Published on February 1, 1983

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