Roger J. Porter, M.D., is Chief Scientific Officer of the Epilepsy Therapy Project, a non-profit organization advancing new therapies for people living with epilepsy.  Dr. Porter is a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, primarily in the development of antiepileptic drugs. He is also Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the Univ. of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at USUHS. His education includes Eckerd College (BS, 1964), Duke Univ (MD, 1968), UCalifSD (Internship, 1968-69) and UCalifSF (Residency in Neurology, 1971-74). 

He spent 20 years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in leadership positions including Chief of the Epilepsy Branch, Chief of the Medical Neurology Branch, and Deputy Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). He left the NIH in 1992 to become Vice President, Clinical Pharmacology, at Wyeth and was promoted to Vice President and Deputy Head of Clinical Research at Wyeth Research in January 1998. As VP and Deputy Head of Clinical Research, Dr. Porter had worldwide responsibility for numerous clinical programs and more than 300 persons in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.  Dr. Porter retired from Wyeth in 2002.   

Most of Dr. Porter’s research has been in epilepsy and the study of antiepileptic drugs; he has published more than 200 articles/chapters and 13 books. His other leadership positions include Chairman of the White House Committee on Brain and Behavioral Sciences (1990-1992), President, American Epilepsy Society (1989-1990), and Secretary-General of the International League Against Epilepsy (1989-1993). He served as a member of the FDA PCNS Advisory Committee (2004-2007) He is Past President of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, Secretary of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. 

He is the recipient of numerous awards including the US Navy Commendation Medal, the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the USPHS Distinguished Service Medal, the Fulbright Distinguished Professor Award, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Duke Univ. Medical Center, and Doctor of Science (Hon) from Eckerd College.