Douglas Zochodne

Dr. Douglas Zochodne is a Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Director of the Neuromuscular Clinic (adult) for the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary (U of C). He also serves as the Director of Clinical Neurophysiology (Adult EMG) for Alberta Health Services.

Dr. Zochodne attended the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in London, Ontario, majoring in Chemistry. He graduated from medical school in 1980 at UWO where he also completed a rotating internship, a year of internal medicine, and an FRCPC in Neurology in 1985. Dr. Zochodne then completed a Neuromuscular Fellowship at UWO from 1986 to 1988, following training at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota as an MRC fellow.  After this, Dr. Zochodne established a peripheral nerve research laboratory and Neuromuscular Clinic at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario, before joining us at the U of C in 1992.

The Zochodne laboratory has made contributions to the field of experimental diabetic neuropathy and peripheral nerve regeneration. In particular, its findings have emphasized the role of neurodegeneration in diabetic peripheral nerves. The Zochodne lab has published over 200 original articles and book chapters (excluding abstracts), including a new book titled, “The Neurobiology of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration” (Cambridge Press), published in the fall of 2008.

Dr. Zochodne is the team leader of a major ($2.25M) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Regenerative Medicine and Nanotechnology team grant - with collaborators at the U of C in Neurosciences and Engineering (Rajiv Midha, Naweed Syed, Graham Jullien), the University of Alberta (Tessa Gordon, Ming Chan), and the University of Saskatchewan (Valerie Verge). In addition to CIHR grants and funding from the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada (MDAC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Dr. Zochodne is also recognized as a Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) Scientist.  He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences (1999 to 2007), and was a recent member of the Institute Advisory Board of the Institute of Neuroscience (2003-2008), Mental Health, and Addiction (CIHR). He is also President-elect of the Peripheral Nerve Society. 

Updated: 2009-05-01