Thomas Brott, M.D., receives Distinguished Alumni Award
Professor of neurology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Jacksonville, Florida
Mayo Clinic in Florida: Consultant, Department of Neurology, 2001–present; professor of neurology, 2000–present; Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Professor of Neurosciences, 2009–2025; member, Executive Operations Team, 2005–2014; James C. and Sarah K. Kennedy Dean for Research, 2005–2014; senior associate consultant, Department of Neurology, 1998–2001
Fellowship: Clinical neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Residency: Neurology, Harvard Longwood Neurology Program, Boston, Massachusetts
Internship: Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Medical school: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Undergraduate: Economics, Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
TRAILBLAZER IN STROKE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
In the U.S., stroke mortality rates have dropped significantly over the last few decades — thanks to the work of researchers and clinicians like Thomas Brott, M.D. (N ’98).
Dr. Brott led the charge to treat stroke as a neurologic emergency, was a leader in the development of multidisciplinary stroke teams and the regional acute stroke network, and materially improved management of carotid artery disease, affecting the care of millions of patients around the world.
Dr. Brott is a professor of neurology and consultant in the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Florida, as well as the emeritus Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Professor of Neurosciences.
Dr. Brott has been principal investigator (PI) of seminal clinical research studies, including the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy Versus Stenting Trial (CREST). CREST demonstrated similar outcomes following carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting to prevent stroke; the results impacted clinical practice worldwide. He is continuing this work as the national PI for the multicenter CREST-2 trial, which was funded by a $39.5 million federal grant — one of the largest ever made to a Mayo Clinic investigator — and renewed for an additional $19.5 million. Dr. Brott was also the lead designer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stroke Scale, which is now embedded in electronic medical record systems and used around the world as a neurological examination for stroke patients. In addition, Dr. Brott played a major role in the testing and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) alteplase, the first drug deemed safe and effective for acute ischemic stroke treatment.
Dr. Brott has shared his neurological and stroke expertise as a member and chair of the FDA neurological devices panel, a member of multiple American Academy of Neurology sections including the sections on neuroimaging and stroke, vice chair of the National Stroke Association and chair of the American Heart Association Stroke Council.
Dr. Brott has published extensively, with more than 600 publications and 65,000 citations, including first-author articles in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation and The Lancet Neurology. Dr. Brott’s notable awards include the 2023 Innovation Award from the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology and the 2017 Research Achievement Award from the American Heart Association.
The Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1981 by the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees to acknowledge and show appreciation for the exceptional contributions of Mayo alumni to the field of medicine, including medical practice, research, education, and administration. Individuals receiving this award are recognized nationally — and often internationally — in their fields. Read about the other 2025 recipients here.