Neurology

Roy Hamilton, MD

Neurology

Vice Chair for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity

Dr. Roy Hamilton, is an Associate Professor and inaugural Vice Chair of Inclusion and Diversity in the Department of Neurology, a role he created in 2017. He also serves as Assistant Dean for Cultural Affairs and Diversity in the Perelman School of Medicine. As Vice Chair, Dr. Hamilton developed Penn Neurology’s Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity (IDARE) Program, which includes >50 faculty, trainees, and staff. The mission IDARE is to create and sustain a diverse, inclusive, and antiracist culture that ensures equitable treatment of patients and of all members of the department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. This overarching mission is realized by pursuing four goals: 

1) Promoting departmental education related to health equity and anti-racism

2) Enhancing diversity in recruitment and career development for all career paths 

3) Combating inequities for patients, local communities, and beyond through social and political action

4) Advancing equitable treatment for all department members. 

Dr. Hamilton is a nationally recognized advocate for diversity and inclusion in neurology. In addition to his efforts at Penn, he founded and co-chairs the workgroup of the American Academy of Neurology that supports neurology diversity officers across the US. Since 2019, he has served as an inaugural Associate Editor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for four academic journals: Neurology, Neurology Clinical Practice, Neurology Genetics, and Neurology Immunology and Neuroinflammation. 

In addition to his advocacy roles Dr. Hamilton is an internationally-recognized physician-scientist in the field of noninvasive neuromodulation and directs a laboratory and multidisciplinary center pursuing this work.