Bennet Omalu, MD, CPE, MBA, MPH
Dr. Omalu is the President and Medical Director of Bennet Omalu Pathology and is a Clinical Professor of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis Medical School. He is an appointed member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Board of the State of California and has performed over seven thousand autopsies and examined more than eight thousand brains in his career, particularly those involving all types of brain trauma.
Dr. Omalu has received numerous awards from across the world in recognition of his work and expertise in brain injury and trauma in both living and deceased patients. Beginning in 2002, he was the first to identify and name chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players, professional wrestlers and retired military veterans. This work has advanced research and a universal understanding of traumatic brain injury, and has been featured in countless local, national and international print and electronic news media and documentary and feature films.
In August 2019, Dr. Omalu was recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the “100 Figures Who Shaped the NFL’s First Century.” He received the “Distinguished Service Award” from the American Medical Association [AMA], which is the highest and most prestigious award a physician can receive from the AMA. Dr. Omalu has also been honored by the United States Congress for his work on brain injury and trauma, and he has appeared on multiple occasions before committees of the United States Congress and committees of State Legislatures across the United States, advising them on matters relating to brain injury and trauma, death investigation and the administration of justice.
Dr. Omalu holds a Master in Public Health in Epidemiology from the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has also received three honorary PhD and Doctor of Science degrees from two universities in the United States and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in recognition of his work and expertise in brain injury and trauma.