Deborah Gelinas, MD

Neurologist

Director Clinical Neuroscience Research, Saint Mary’s Health Care

Associate Professor of Neurology, Michigan State University Director ALS Clinic jointly founded by Saint Mary’s, MSU and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

Education:

• New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY

• Neurology resident, Letterman Army Medical Center, San Francisco

When she left the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco to join Saint Mary’s, “I thought I was leaving the best place in the whole world to treat ALS patients,” Dr. Gelinas said. “We’re recreating that here.” The clinic is the only one in West Michigan dedicated to treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Gelinas, a nationally recognized expert on the disease, has written numerous articles and two books about it. When she was 10, her younger sister suffered a stroke, leaving her paralyzed on the right side. “She is an incredible human being,” Gelinas said. “When that experience happens to you, all you can do is be resilient. That influenced me in working with chronic, debilitating diseases. I’m really committed to resiliency in the face of neurological disease.”