Verna R. Porter, MD

Verna Porter, M.D., is an adult and geriatric neurologist with board certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and subspecialty certification from the United Council for Neurological Subspecialties in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. She is also distinguished as a Fellow of the American Neurological Association (FANA). Dr. Porter is the Director of Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Neurocognitive Disorders at the Pacific Brain Health Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) located at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.

Dr. Porter graduated Phi Beta Kappa, College Honors, Departmental Honors and Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She then went on to earn her MD degree from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine (1994). Dr. Porter completed her Internship at UCLA in the Department of Medicine, followed by her residency training in the UCLA Department of Neurology. She continued with a combined research/clinical fellowship in Dementia, Behavioral Neuroscience and Geriatric Medicine, between the UCLA Department of Neurology and the UCLA Division of Geriatric Medicine.

Dr. Porter subsequently joined the UCLA faculty in 2002, and was elected to Chief of the Division of Neurology of UCLA/Santa Monica Medical Center that same year. She was the founder and lead physician of UCLA Santa Monica Neurological Associates, a faculty group practice in general neurology with additional subspecialty expertise and care, which opened its doors in 2002. She served as a lead physician and UCLA Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Neurology in this group until 2015 when she was named Director of Clinical Programs for the Mary S. Easton Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. She served in this capacity until joining Pacific Neuroscience Institute in 2018 as Director of Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Neurocognitive Disorders.

Dr. Porter has numerous peer-reviewed publications and extensive teaching and clinical experience. Her expertise is recognized by her selection for inclusion in The Leading Physicians of the World, a subsidiary of the International Association of HealthCare Professionals (IAHCP) which is made up of over 100 different medical societies. She has also received recognition in Southern California Super Doctors, and recently was named a “Top Doctor” in Los Angeles Magazine (2018). She has also been selected for inclusion in the National Association of Professional Women, Marquis Who’s who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Marquis Who’s who in the World among other awards and professional honors. Dr. Porter was selected for the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, Marquis Who’s who.

Dr. Porter’s clinical and research interests focus on the intersection between immunological, genetic, and biomarker characteristics of neurodegenerative diseases and the impact of health lifestyle and dietary practices on optimizing brain health and cognitive vitality in the context of aging. Dr. Porter is maintaining her academic affiliations with UCLA as a volunteer Clinical Professor of Neurology, and looks forward to continuing to provide comprehensive clinical consultations and continuity of care for patients at Pacific Neuroscience Institute.

Dr. Porter is a Santa Monica native with three boys, and is active in the community with her family. She is pleased to be able to give back to the community where she grew up and where her family continues to thrive.