Chad Carlson, MD, Appointed Chair of the MCW Department of Neurology

Milwaukee, March 10, 2026 – The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is pleased to announce Chad Carlson, MD, FAAN, FAES, interim chair of neurology and professor of neurology, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Neurology.

Dr. Carlson joined MCW in 2013 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology, was promoted to Professor in 2019, and named Vice Chair of Education in 2020. He has held multiple program leadership positions, including Program Director of the Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship (2013), Program Director of the Adult Neurology Residency (2014), and the Epilepsy Fellowship (2016).

A specialist in the treatment of epilepsy, Dr. Carlson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in 2000. He completed his internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois (Urbana/Champaign) in 2001 and a residency in Neurology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in 2004. He earned fellowships in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy/Epilepsy Surgery at the New York University School of Medicine in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Dr. Carlson’s research interests include improved clinical classification of epilepsy surgery candidates; enhanced methods of detecting and removing the seizure onset zone in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy, including quantitative approaches to electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography; and multi-modal approaches to the functional mapping of language. He is also deeply engaged in advancing neurological education through technology-enhanced and active learning approaches.

Dr. Carlson’s bibliography includes more than 100 refereed journal publications/original papers; books, chapters, and reviews; and editorials. He has also presented at more than 70 international, national, and local invited lectures and workshops.

In recognition of his educational service, Dr. Carlson received MCW’s 2017-2018 Outstanding Medical Student Teacher Award, the 2021 Residency-Fellowship Program Director Award from the American Academy of Neurology, and the Distinguished Service Award presented by the graduating neurology residents in 2022.

Additionally, Dr. Carlson was named a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology in 2020 and a fellow of the American Epilepsy Society in 2024. In 2025, he received the Graduate Medical Education Leadership Award in recognition of his dedication to education, mentoring, and professional development of physicians in training.