Alyx Porter Umphrey, M.D., FAAN
ElevateMeD Founder
Dr. Alyx Porter Umphrey is a highly regarded physician leader and philanthropist with a passion for inclusive healthcare. Dr. Porter is a Professor of Neurology and the Director of the NeuroOncology Section at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Having been with Mayo Clinic for over two decades, she has worked diligently to provide care for patients with tumors and cancers involving the nervous system in addition to patients who have neurologic complications resulting from their systemic cancers.
Dr. Porter received her undergraduate education at Spelman College and went on to receive her medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine. She completed her internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester in Internal Medicine, residency in Neurology, and Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology. Dr. Porter serves as the Medical Director of the outpatient practice, and sits on the Board as a member of the Executive Operations Team at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She is also the medical director of the Undergraduate Plummer Scholars Program, an early undergraduate medical pathway programs for Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Science. Her research interests are aimed at ensuring that patients with brain cancers have the best quality of life as possible. She is the primary investigator on the defining study for the utility of psychostimulants to improve quality of life as well as thinking and memory in patients with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Dr. Porter is also co-author of the book, Navigating Life with a Brain Tumor, a bestselling resource for patients and families.
Dr. Porter was the 2020 recipient of the Dean’s Award for Diversity and Inclusion for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Anne B. Young Diversity Scholar Award from Massachusetts General Hospital for her work in equity and inclusion. She was recently recognized as the 2023 Alumni Emerging Leader from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. She is noted to be a top provider by the Mayo Clinic Office of Patient Experience for the last several years and Castle and Connelly Exceptional Women in Medicine.
Eager to give back, she and her husband, Dr. Gregory Umphrey founded a national non-profit in 2019, ElevateMeD. To date, ElevateMeD has awarded over $1.2M in scholarships and support to medical students from underrepresented backgrounds. ElevateMeD is committed to elevating the field of medicine by providing financial support, mentorship and leadership training to future physicians from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. She leads the organization as former and interim Executive Director and Board Chair.
Dr. Porter serves on the executive board of the American Brain Foundation and holds active membership with the American Academy of Neurology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society for Neuro- Oncology and the National Medical Association. Dr. Porter Umphrey is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Porter has been happily married to Dr. Gregory Umphrey for 20 years. Together, they are the proud parents of Rylan, Makena, and their family dog, Sunset.