Karen L. Roos, MD

For decades, Roos has been a foundational figure at Indiana University School of Medicine. As the first endowed professor in the Department of Neurology, Roos approaches education in the same way she approaches clinical care: with dedication and empathy.

She earned her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and pursued an internship and residency at the University of Virginia. Upon completing her residency, Roos began her tenure at IU School of Medicine where she would become an integral leader in neurology. For over four years, she has served as the Neurology Residency Program Director, where she is committed not only to the education of the neurology residents, but also their growth as physicians and their well-being.

Her expertise and commitment is reflected in the countless honors and awards she’s received including, the Drexel University College of Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Society for Neurovirology Neurological Infections Award, the Distinguished Visiting Professor Wilford Hall Medical Center Lackland Air Force Base and the UCSF Robert A. Fishman Award. Colleagues believe her greatest success in neurology is making neuroinfectious diseases its own subspecialty, where hundreds of neurologists now work on the diagnosis and care of patients with neuroinfectious diseases.

In addition to her service at IU School of Medicine, Roos was Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Neurology for over 12 years, published five books and hundreds of manuscripts, served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Neurology and strives to mentor junior Faculty both here at IU School of Medicine and throughout the United States.

Roos KL, author. Meningitis: 100 Maxims in Neurology. London: Oxford University Press, 1996. This has been published in English, German and Japanese.

Roos KL, editor. Central Nervous System Infectious Diseases and Therapy. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1997.  Reviewed in the New England Journal of Medicine, January 8, 1998 and Neurology 50;1998:1200

Roos KL, editor. Principles of Neurologic Infectious Diseases.  New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.

Roos KL, Tunkel AR, eds. Bacterial Infections of the Central Nervous System. Handbook of Clinical Neurology.  Oxford UK: Elsevier, 2010.

Roos KL, editor. Emergency Neurology. New York:Springer, 2012.