Focus
Breakthrough therapies for neurodegenerative disease
I am a Co-Founder of Neuropep Therapeutics, where we develop and advance breakthrough therapies to prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Neuropep Therapeutics →Evolutionary medicine, made clear
Through the Saving Sapiens podcast and the Longevity for Everyone newsletter, I translate the science of human evolution, aging, and disease into clear, useful ideas for clinicians and curious readers alike.
Podcast and writing →The first company addressing the true cause of dementia.
The brain isn't poisoned. It's starving.
I co-founded Neuropep Therapeutics, along with a team and board of talented scientists, physicians, businessmen, and advocates, to address one of medicine's deepest unmet needs: cutting edge neuroprotective and disease modifying therapeutic treatment for neurodegenerative diseases.
Visit neuropeptx.com →
Media
Talk · ISEMPH 2025 · Vanderbilt University Out of Africa: Human Ancestry as Mandatory Medical Education
PodcastSaving Sapiens
The bodies we inherited were built for a world very different from our own. Saving Sapiens explores that gap in conversation with leading scientists, physicians, and clinicians, tracing how the science of our past points toward a more informed future in medicine. Guests have included Leonard Hayflick, Caleb Finch, and Michael Rose.
Watch on YouTube →
Featured article · Sapiens · Best of 2024Doctors Are Taught to Lie About Race
Race is a social invention, not a biological category, yet medicine still treats it as a genetic shortcut. Drawing on human evolution and genetics, the essay argues that ancestry, not race, is what actually bears on health.
Read on Sapiens →
NewsletterLongevity for Everyone
Everyday observations on the habits that make us stronger, and how to escape the traps of modern living: poor diet, inactivity, and constant noise. Evidence-based and practical, with a standing promise never to peddle nonsense or supplements.
Read on Substack →Research and publications
A leading principle in my publications and presentations is the understanding that human physiology, genetics, and disease are shaped by the evolutionary history of our species. This has direct implications for understanding the maintenance of health, the optimization of longevity, research in genetics, and the development of advanced therapeutics.
Selected writing and talks
- Out of Africa: Human Ancestry as Mandatory Medical EducationPodium talk · ISEMPH 2025 · Vanderbilt University
- Superseding Evolutionary Mismatch: Adaptive Contingency in MedicineISEMPH 2025 · Vanderbilt University
- Doctors Are Taught to Lie About RaceSapiens Anthropology Magazine, 2024 · Best of Sapiens 2024
- Replacing the Machine Metaphor in Medicine: The Contingent Adaptive ModelISEMPH Special Symposium · Beckman Center, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine · 2023
- Pathways of Descent in Endogenous RetrovirusesCell Symposia: Viruses in Health and Disease · Sitges, Spain · 2023
- Endogenous Retroviruses and the Pregnancy Compensation Hypothesis: A Response to Natri et al.Trends in Genetics · vol. 36 · 2020
A fuller list is maintained separately and grows over time.
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About
I began in mathematics and worked as an analyst before pursuing medicine, earning an M.D. with Distinction in Clinical Research and Scholarship, with my work focusing on the evolutionary history and therapeutic implications of human endogenous retroviruses in human health and disease.
I have been very fortunate to experience the mentorship of intellectual giants in the fields of biomedical informatics, evolutionary medicine, and systems engineering, including Dr. JW Smith (M.D., Ph.D., NASA medical informatics), Dr. Randolph Nesse (M.D., founding president of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health), and Dr. Guru Madhavan (Senior Director of Programs at the National Academy of Engineering).
In addition to my work advancing therapeutic development for neurodegenerative disease, I enjoy staying actively engaged with the biomedical community, contributing to advances in cutting edge medicine and therapeutics, to the academic literature in genetics, and to mentoring the next generation of physicians and scientists.
- MedicineM.D. with Distinction in Clinical Research and ScholarshipTexas A&M University College of Medicine.
- MathematicsB.S. Mathematics, minor in Physics, cum laudeEmphasis in the history and philosophy of science. Former quantitative analyst.
- FoundingCo-Founder & CBDO, Neuropep Therapeutics
- EditorialFormer editorial board, World Journal of Surgery
- ResearchPublished in genetics, including Trends in Genetics
- PublicFounder and host, Saving Sapiens · Author, Longevity for Everyone
- PhotographyInternationally published photographer