Joshua Claunch, MD

Supporting: Neuroimmunology, Neuro Immune Chronic Illness (NICI) Center, and the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Clinic

Joshua Claunch, MD, has joined the Department of Neurology supporting the Neuroimmunology and MS Center by working in the Long-COVID, Neuroimmune Chronic Illness (NICI) Clinic and in the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Clinic specializing in dementia care. Under his clinical management in the NICI Clinic, he will help design the clinical standard operating procedures and research protocols. 

“My goal in working with the MS Center is to work with Dr. Ionete to be on the forefront of care for Long-COVID patients, and to find innovative and effective ways of making their lives better. I can only be as good as my team. There is no better team I know than the staff and faculty at the UMass Multiple Sclerosis Center. They make me a better provider,” Claunch stared. 

Dr. Claunch hails from Florida where he attended medical school at Florida State College of Medicine. He moved to Massachusetts and participated in the UMass Chan residency program from 2014 to 2020 and has worked as a neurologist at the Reliant Medical Group since graduating. His clinical focus is on treatable conditions, with severe negative outcomes when untreated, that are often missed by the current systems of care. His interests include neuroimmunology, long-COVID, encephalitis, atypical psychosis, catatonia, and cognitive decline. 

When he is not working in the clinic he may be found reading books by Carl Jung, baking sourdough bread, or brewing ales. If you see him without a beard, that means he just got back from Costa Rica and will happily talk about his trip. If you see him with a long beard, wish him luck on his upcoming trip.