Jeffrey Gelfand, MD
Professor
Neurology
School of Medicine

Dr. Gelfand is a Professor of Neurology at UCSF. He specializes in the care of patients with a wide range of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Gelfand conducts clinical research, including clinical trials, to advance new treatments and restore neurological function. Dr. Gelfand is also an award-winning clinician and medical educator.

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Dr. Gelfand received an A.B. in history from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed an internship in internal medicine, a residency in neurology, and a subspecialty fellowship in MS / Neuroimmunology, all at UCSF. Dr. Gelfand went on to earn a Master's degree in clinical research at UCSF. He is board-certified in Neurology.

Dr. Gelfand serves as Vice-Chief for Clinical of the Division of Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology and as Medical Director of the UCSF MS and Neuroinflammation Clinic. He is also the clinical director of the UCSF Center for Encephalitis and Meningitis (CEM). In 2026, Dr. Gelfand received the UCSF Department of Neurology Cheryl Jay Master Clinician Award for Clinical Excellence in Neurology.

Dr. Gelfand co-directs the Specialty Practice Ambulatory Sub-Internship (SPAN) clerkship, a course that all UCSF Medical School students must complete as a graduation requirement. Dr. Gelfand was honored to receive the Robert B. Layzer teaching award, which is voted on annually by UCSF Neurology Department residents; an Excellence in Teaching Award from the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators; and induction into the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators. For over a decade (through 2023), Dr. Gelfand served as the Program Director of the UCSF MS Center Clinical Fellowship Training Program, helping to train a new generation of specialists in the field.

Dr. Gelfand is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN), including having served as the elected Chair of the American Academy of Neurology Autoimmune Neurology section.

Awards

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  • Cheryl Jay Master Clinician Award for Clinical Excellence in Neurology, UCSF Department of Neurology, 2026
  • A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award, American Academy of Neurology, 2021
  • PISCES Preceptor award, UCSF School of Medicine, 2021
  • Inducted into the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators, UCSF, 2020
  • Elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN), AAN, 2016
  • Excellence in Teaching Award -- Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators, UCSF School of Medicine, 2015
  • Robert B. Layzer Award for Resident Teaching, UCSF Department of Neurology, 2014
  • Newman Award, SF Neurological Society, 2011
  • Newman Award, SF Neurological Society, 2009
  • Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, Princeton University, 2001
  • Walter Phelps Hall Prize for the Best Thesis in European History, Princeton University, 2001

Education & Training

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  • MAS Advanced Training in Clinical Research University of California, San Francisco 2013
  • M.D. Harvard Medical School 2006
  • A.B. History Princeton University 2001

Websites

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Publications (147)

Top publication keywords:
Disability EvaluationMultiple SclerosisMultiple Sclerosis, Chronic ProgressiveSarcoidosisGlucocorticoidsCentral Nervous System DiseasesAutoantibodiesMultiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-RemittingEncephalitisMonitoring, AmbulatoryImmunosuppressive AgentsHashimoto DiseaseAutoimmune Diseases of the Nervous SystemVasculitis, Central Nervous SystemWalking

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