简介
An internationally renowned neurologist and neuroimmunologist in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neurodegenerative diseases, Prof. Xavier Montalban is currently Medical Director of ACE Alzheimer Center Barcelona since 2026; Chair of Neurology, Neuropsychology and Neurophysiology at Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona since 2005; and Professor at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) since 2021.
He obtained his MD from the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 1990, where he also completed a PhD in Neuroimmunology, completed his Neurology residency at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, and pursued postdoctoral training at St Thomas’ Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. Between 2017 and 2020, he was Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto, as well as Medical Director of the Barlo MS Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
A co-founder of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia (Cemcat), where he served as Director from 2007 to 2026, he continues to play an active role in the institution's governance as President of Fundació Cemcat, Vice-President of the Fundació Esclerosi Múltiple (FEM), and member of the Cemcat Governing Board since 2026. He has also served as Co-President of the European Charcot Foundation since 2025.
He served as Head of the Clinical Neuroimmunology Research Group at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) from 1995 to 2026, Professor of Neurology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) from 2006 to 2026, Chair of Neurology at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital from 2012 to 2024, and Director of Neurosciences from 2010 to 2012. He has held major international leadership roles, including President (2014–2016) and Honorary Council Member of ECTRIMS, Co-chair of the MAGNIMS Steering Committee, Chair of the International Medical and Scientific Board of the MS International Federation (MSIF), member of the Steering Committee of the International Progressive MS Alliance, and Chair of the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS (ECTRIMS/NMSS) until 2024.
Prof. Montalban is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS).
He has authored more than 850 original and review articles in international peer-reviewed journals, with over 65,000 citations and an H-index of 118 (Scopus, June 2026). For the past seven years, he has been listed among Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers. He has been Principal Investigator (PI) or collaborator on more than 35 competitive research projects and PI in over 150 clinical trials. He served as Editor of the Clinical Cases Section of Multiple Sclerosis Journal and co-led the development of the first two ECTRIMS-EAN Guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of multiple sclerosis.
His research has focused on clinical trials and on identifying clinical, MRI and biological prognostic factors, treatment response markers, and immunological mechanisms in MS. In 1995, his team established a prospective clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) cohort that became the foundation of the Neuroimmunology Research Laboratory and later of Cemcat. His work contributed to the evolution of MS and primary progressive MS diagnostic criteria, including evidence supporting the incorporation of oligoclonal bands. His group developed the internationally adopted Rio Score for early detection of treatment failure and participated in landmark clinical trials, including Ocrelizumab and the first BTK inhibitor studies in MS. He has also advanced biomarker and digital health research through initiatives such as MSPATHS, Floodlight and RADAR-CNS.
Among the awards he has received are the 2022 John Dystel Prize (NMSS/AAN), the 2023 Charcot Award (MSIF), recognizing an outstanding scientific career in MS research, the 2024 Fundación Lilly Biomedical Research Award for Clinical Research, and the 2023 Research Career Achievement Award from the hospitals of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS).
During his tenure as Director, Cemcat became an internationally recognised MS centre with more than 10,000 registered patients, over 100 multidisciplinary professionals, and one of Europe’s most active clinical research programmes.
