Faculty

Dr Masafumi Ihara, MD, PhD, FACP, FAHA is Director, Department of Neurology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center (NCVC), Osaka, Japan (2013-present). He is also Director, Department of CADASIL Research and Development, NCVC (2025-present). He graduated from Kyoto University School of Medicine in 1995. He received clinical training at Kyoto University Hospital in 1995 and Nishi-Kobe Medical Center in 1995-1999. In 1999 he entered Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and completed a PhD in Neuroscience in 2003. He received his neuropathological training under supervision of Prof. Kalaria in Newcastle University, UK during 2006-2008. He led a neurovascular research group as an assistant professor of Department of Neurology in Kyoto University (2008-2012) and as a deputy director of Department of Regenerative Medicine Research in Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation (IBRI), Kobe (2012-2013). His research interests have focused on the pathological changes in brain blood vessels and how the alterations impact on brain health during old age. He is a Fellow of the Japanese Society of Neurology, the American Heart Association (FAHA), and the American College of Physicians (FACP). In NCVC, Dr Ihara is involved in translational research projects related to regenerative therapy for stroke (AMFIS trial) and CADASIL (AMCAD trial), and a clinical trial of the vasoactive drug cilostazol for mild cognitive impairment (COMCID trial).