Dr. Philip L. De Jager is professor of neurology. After graduating from Yale University with a degree in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Dr. De Jager received a PhD in Neurogenetics from Rockefeller University and an MD from Cornell University Medical College, before completing his MMSc in Clinical Investigation at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and MIT. He served as a neurology resident in the Partners Neurology Residency Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He then joined the faculty at HMS, rising to the rank of associate professor before joining CUIMC.

The goal of Dr. De Jager's work as a clinician-scientist is to apply modern methods of neuro-immunology, statistical genetics, and systems biology to the understanding of common neurodegenerative diseases. At CUIMC, Dr. De Jager serves as Chief of the Department of Neurology's Division of Neuroimmunology, which includes the Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Center and focuses on characterizing and targeting the neuro-immunologic component of neurodegenerative disease. Dr. De Jager also serves as the director of a new Center for Translational & Computational Neuro-Immunology.