Tyrell Simkins, DO, PhD

Tyrell Simkins, DO, PhD, is a treating and diagnostic neurologist operating through his independent practice, Tyrell J Simkins, DO, PhD, PC, with specialized clinical expertise in concussion, traumatic brain injury (TBI), neuromuscular conditions, and neuroimmunology. Alongside his active clinical practice, he works in the pharmaceutical industry on clinical research and development for neurodegenerative disease therapeutics. Dr. Simkins earned his dual medical and doctoral degrees from Michigan State University in 2015, completed his neurology residency at UC Davis, and finished a specialized multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). By bridging direct patient care with pharmaceutical drug development, he brings rigorous diagnostic precision and deep translational insight to the evaluation and management of complex neurological disorders.

• Michigan State University - DO, Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy
• Michigan State University - PhD
• Boise State University -B.S. Bio (Mol/Cell Emphasis); Minors: Chem, Phil

• DO
• PhD
• Board Certified, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

• American Academy of Neurology
• Sigma Xi
• Society for Neuroscience
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

●      Maharao, N., Xu, D., Divanji, P., Simkins, T. J., Li, J., Dumitrescu, C., Solanki, P., Griffith, A., Heitner, S. B., Kupfer, S., German, P., & Lutz, J. D. (2026). Clinical Evaluation of Drug-Drug Interactions With Aficamten. Clinical and Translational Science, 19(3), e70514.

●      Tower-Rader, A., Masri, A., Nassif, M. E., Abraham, T. P., Barriales-Villa, R., Choudhury, L., Cooper, R. M., Elliott, P. M., Maron, M. S., Olivotto, I., Oreziak, A., Owens, A. T., Solomon, S. D., Heitner, S. B., Jacoby, D. L., Kupfer, S., Liu, X., Malik, F. I., Melloni, C., Simkins, T. J., Wei, J., & Saberi, S. (2026). Aficamten in symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: the FOREST-HCM long-term study. European Heart Journal. ehaf1085.

●      Rudnicki, S. A., Giacomelli, E., Herder, K., Ingre, C., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Meng, L., Paganoni, S., Schellenberg, K., Scirocco, E., Simkins, T., Wei, J., & Shefner, J. M. (2026). The Use of Durable Medical Equipment in COURAGE-ALS, a Phase 3, Multicentre, Randomized Clinical Trial for ALS. Muscle & Nerve, 73(4), 608-614.

●      Kaski, J. P., Kantor, P. F., Nakano, S. J., Olivotto, I., Russell, M. W., Godown, J., Chiu, M., German, P., Heitner, S. B., Jacoby, D. L., Kupfer, S., Lutz, J., Maharao, N., Malik, F. I., Melloni, C., Nieto Morales, P. F., Simkins, T., Wei, J., & Ho, C. Y. (2026). Efficacy and Safety of Aficamten in Children and Adolescents With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Study Design and Rationale of CEDAR-HCM. Circulation. Heart Failure, 19(2), e013418.

●      Masri, A., Sherrid, M. V., Choudhury, L., Garcia-Pavia, P., Kramer, C. M., Barriales-Villa, R., Cooper, R. M., Elliott, P. M., Hegde, S. M., Maron, M. S., Nassif, M. E., Oreziak, A., Owens, A. T., Solomon, S. D., Tower-Rader, A., Heitner, S. B., Jacoby, D. L., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Melloni, C., Simkins, T., Wei, J., & Saberi, S. (2026). Safety and Efficacy of Aficamten in Patients With Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A 96-Week Analysis From FOREST-HCM. Journal of Cardiac Failure, 32(2), 533-537.

●      Rowin, E. J., Maron, M. S., Olivotto, I., Coats, C. J., Abraham, T. P., Nassif, M. E., Barriales-Villa, R., Saberi, S., Heitner, S. B., Jacoby, D. L., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Simkins, T., Wei, J., & Masri, A. (2026). Low incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treated with aficamten: An analysis from the REDWOOD-HCM, SEQUOIA-HCM, and FOREST-HCM trials. Heart Rhythm, 23(1), 212-214.

●      Collins, H. Y., Doan, R. A., Li, J., Early, J. E., Madden, M. E., Simkins, T., Lyons, D. A., Monk, K. R., & Emery, B. (2025). FBXW7 regulates MYRF levels to control myelin capacity and homeostasis in the adult central nervous system. Nature Communications, 16(1), 7822.

●      Rudnicki, S. A., Gebrehiwet, P., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Meng, L., Simkins, T., Wei, J., Wolff, A. A., & Shefner, J. M. (2025). Participant, site personnel and sponsor perspectives on decentralized trial features in COURAGE-ALS: a randomized clinical trial. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration, 26(7-8), 812-820.

●      Rudnicki, S. A., Al-Chalabi, A., Andrews, J. A., Chio, A., Corcia, P., Couratier, P., Cudkowicz, M. E., De Carvalho, M., Genge, A., Hardiman, O., Heiman-Patterson, T., Henderson, R. D., Ingre, C., Johnston, W., Ludolph, A., Maragakis, N. J., Miller, T. M., Mora, J. S., Petri, S., Simmons, Z., Van Den Berg, L. H., Zinman, L., Herder, K. E., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Meng, L., Simkins, T. J., Wei, J., Wolff, A. A., & Shefner, J. M. (2025). Hospitalizations as an outcome measure in COURAGE-ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration, 26(7-8), 802-811.

●      Maharao, N., Xu, D., Simkins, T. J., Bowles, O., Liu, G., Benattia, Y., Griffith, A., Heitner, S. B., Kupfer, S., & German, P. (2025). Clinical Evaluation of the Effect of Aficamten on QT/QTc Interval in Healthy Participants. Clinical and Translational Science, 18(4), e70218.

●      Shefner, J. M., Cudkowicz, M. E., Genge, A., Hardiman, O., Al-Chalabi, A., Andrews, J. A., Chio, A., Corcia, P., Couratier, P., de Carvalho, M., Heiman-Patterson, T., Henderson, R. D., Ingre, C., Johnston, W., Ludolph, A., Maragakis, N. J., Miller, T. M., Mora, J. S., Petri, S., Simmons, Z., van den Berg, L. H., Zinman, L., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Meng, L., Simkins, T. J., Wei, J., Wolff, A. A., & Rudnicki, S. A. (2025). Reldesemtiv in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Results From the COURAGE-ALS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurology, 82(5), 477-485.

●      Simkins, T. J., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Meng, L., Rudnicki, S. A., Wei, J., Shefner, J. M., & Bowser, R. (2025). Plasma neurofilament analysis in VITALITY-ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration, 26(1-2), 103-112.

●      Shefner, J. M., Al-Chalabi, A., Andrews, J. A., Chio, A., De Carvalho, M., Cockroft, B. M., Corcia, P., Couratier, P., Cudkowicz, M. E., Genge, A., Hardiman, O., Heiman-Patterson, T., Henderson, R. D., Ingre, C., Jackson, C. E., Johnston, W., Lechtzin, N., Ludolph, A., Maragakis, N. J., Miller, T. M., Mora Pardina, J. S., Petri, S., Simmons, Z., Van Den Berg, L. H., Zinman, L., Kupfer, S., Malik, F. I., Meng, L., Simkins, T. J., Wei, J., Wolff, A. A., & Rudnicki, S. A. (2023). COURAGE-ALS: a randomized, double-blind phase 3 study designed to improve participant experience and increase the probability of success. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis & Frontotemporal Degeneration, 24(5-6), 523-534.

●      Paydar, A., Jenner, Z. B., Simkins, T. J., Chang, Y. M., Hacein-Bey, L., Ozturk, A., Birkeland, A., Assadsangabi, R., Raslan, O., Shadmani, G., Apperson, M., & Ivanovic, V. (2022). Autoimmune disease of head and neck, imaging, and clinical review. Neuroradiology Journal, 35(5), 545-562.

●      Shadmani, G., Simkins, T. J., Assadsangabi, R., Apperson, M., Hacein-Bey, L., Raslan, O., & Ivanovic, V. (2022). Autoimmune diseases of the brain, imaging and clinical review. Neuroradiology Journal, 35(2), 152-169.

●      Simkins, T. J., Bissig, D., Moreno, G., Kahlon, N. P. K., Gorin, F., & Duffy, A. (2021). A clinical decision rule predicting outcomes of emergency department patients with altered mental status. Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 2(5), e12522.

●      Simkins, T. J., Duncan, G. J., & Bourdette, D. (2021). Chronic Demyelination and Axonal Degeneration in Multiple Sclerosis: Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Implications. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 21(6), 26.

●      Duncan, G. J., Simkins, T. J., & Emery, B. (2021). Neuron-Oligodendrocyte Interactions in the Structure and Integrity of Axons. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9, 653101.

●      Simkins, T. J., Fried, D., Parikh, K., Galligan, J. J., Goudreau, J. L., Lookingland, K. J., & Kaplan, B. L. F. (2016). Reduced Noradrenergic Signaling in the Spleen Capsule in the Absence of CB(1) and CB(2) Cannabinoid Receptors. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, 11(4), 669-679.

●      Credle, J. J., George, J. L., Wills, J., Duka, V., Shah, K., Lee, Y. C., Rodriguez, O., Simkins, T., Winter, M., Moechars, D., Steckler, T., Goudreau, J., Finkelstein, D. I., & Sidhu, A. (2015). GSK-3β dysregulation contributes to parkinson's-like pathophysiology with associated region-specific phosphorylation and accumulation of tau and α-synuclein. Cell Death & Differentiation, 22(5), 838-851.

●      Simkins, T., Crawford, R. B., Goudreau, J. L., Lookingland, K. J., & Kaplan, B. L. F. (2014). Enhanced humoral immunity in mice lacking CB1 and CB2 receptors (Cnr1-/-/Cnr2-/- mice) is not due to increased splenic noradrenergic neuronal activity. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, 9(4), 544-557.

●      Simkins, T. J., Janis, K. L., McClure, A. K., Behrouz, B., Pappas, S. S., Lehner, A., Kaminski, N. E., Goudreau, J. L., Lookingland, K. J., & Kaplan, B. L. F. (2012). Comparison of the D2 receptor regulation and neurotoxicant susceptibility of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in wild-type and CB1/CB2 receptor knockout mice. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, 7(3), 533-538.

●      Lehner, A., Johnson, M., Simkins, T., Janis, K., Lookingland, K., Goudreau, J., & Rumbeiha, W. (2011). Liquid chromatographic-electrospray mass spectrometric determination of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+) in discrete regions of murine brain. Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 21(3), 171-182.

●      Rothstein, S., Simkins, T., & Nuñez, J. L. (2008). Response to neonatal anesthesia: effect of sex on anatomical and behavioral outcome. Neuroscience, 152(4), 959-969.