May 22, 2015
Colloquium Topic: The Future of Medicine
Dr. Ling will give an overview of DARPA’s approach to S&T, the new Biological Technologies Office, and recent technological breakthroughs.
Colloquium Speaker: Geoffrey Ling
Dr. Geoffrey Ling is the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office. He began his DARPA service in 2004 as a Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He created and managed a broad research portfolio, spanning neuroscience, infectious disease, pharmacology, and battlefield medicine. His Revolutionizing Prosthetics program developed advanced arm prostheses controlled either non-invasively or directly by a user’s brain. His Preventing Violent Explosive Neuro Trauma program developed new understanding and treatment of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was the 2009 DARPA Program Manager of the Year and served as the DSO Deputy Director from 2013-2014.
Dr. Ling has spent his career providing critical care to patients suffering from neurological trauma. He served as an officer in the United States Army Medical Corps for 27 years before retiring as a Colonel in 2012. As a military neurointensive care physician, he deployed with the 44th Medical Command (Airborne) to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. At the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, COL Ling deployed on four “Gray Team” missions to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2012 to evaluate and recommend improvements to war-theater TBI care.
Dr. Ling received his medical degree from Georgetown University and his Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology from Cornell University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a neuropharmacology research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a neurointensive care fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
In addition to his role at DARPA, Dr. Ling serves as a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is board certified in both neurology and neurocritical care. From 2012-2013, he served as the Assistant Director for Medical Innovation of the Science Division at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Ling has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters, including the TBI chapter in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine and several DoD Guidelines for managing head injury. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and an “A” designated neurologist.