James D. Guest

Dr. Guest MD, PhD. FAANS is a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Miami and leads the NeuroTherapeutics laboratory. He has a career-long interest in spinal cord injury. He graduated with an MD from the University of Alberta, a PhD from the University of Miami, and completed his neurosurgical residency in Vancouver. He was active in the nascent ICORD during his residency. He then completed fellowship training in spinal surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute and joined the Neurosurgery and Miami Project to Cure Paralysis faculty. He is currently the co-chair of the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN). Clinical interests include acute and chronic complications of SCI, development programs for therapeutics, and clinical trial design. He has studied cell transplantation, neuroprotection, and neuromodulation, and has used large-animal models to translate cellular, biomaterials, deep-brain, and epidural stimulation therapies into clinical trials. He served as site-PI for the recent Up-LIFT trial of transcutaneous neuromodulation and is involved in the current EMPOWER trial for autonomic restoration using epidural stimulation and deep-brain stimulation of the cuneiform nucleus for walking recovery. He was also the site PI for the Phase 1 and 2/3 trials of riluzole in spinal cord injury. Dr. Guest serves as a consultant to several entities, including the FDA and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.