UChicago Medicine Faculty Physicians
Behzad Elahi, MD, PhD
Behzad Elahi, MD, PhD
UChicago Medicine Faculty Physicians
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Specialties
- Neurology
Locations
- Chicago - Comer Children's Hospital
- Chicago - Hyde Park
- Hinsdale - Salt Creek Lane
Schedule an Appointment
Schedule an Appointment- About
- Specialties & Areas of Expertise
- Locations & Patient Information
- Education & Research
- Accepted Insurance
- External Professional Relationships
[AUDIO LOGO] I'm Dr. Behzad Elahi. I'm an Assistant Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Pediatrics. I specialize in movement disorders, which basically is taking care of patients with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia. And my expertise is more in neuromodulation. So I chose to become a physician just to help out patients in the most complex and often debilitating time of their life. As a son of a physician, it was always a goal of my life to be a doctor. University of Chicago and the Comer Children's Hospital are known for their cutting-edge research, but also for collaborative work and patient-centered attention that doctors pay to their patients. So that was the reason that I chose to be in University of Chicago and join a collaborative team to take care of these complicated patients. My philosophy of care centers around patients, and I think it's very important to listen to the patients. Majority of information that I need in terms of understanding what is ailing them is by listening. And I think that is a very important piece of my practice to listen to the patients more. And I encourage that to other medical students and residents that work with me as well. My expertise, aside from the movement disorders, is neurophysiology. And I'm focusing my practice to focus more on the neurophysiology of movement disorders. And some of the advanced therapies that I provide to my patients include neuromodulation. That is, deep brain stimulation as part of it. And that's where most of my expertise, which is a bordering neurophysiology and movement disorder. I think every day is a new experience for us. So I learn from all my patients every single day. And I think this is always a progression, especially in my field, which is a frontier of medicine. You always learn new things about movement disorders, neurological conditions, and we always struggle to find new therapies. So it's always a new day in terms of learning for us. [AUDIO LOGO]
Behzad Elahi, MD, MBA, PhD, is a neurologist who cares for adults and children with movement disorders, offering advanced expertise in neurodegenerative diseases and leading-edge treatment options. He has specialized training in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other neuromodulation techniques that can significantly improve quality of life for patients with complex movement conditions. His approach combines the latest medical advances with individualized care tailored to each patient’s unique needs.
Dr. Elahi provides expert care for Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes, helping patients manage symptoms and maintain independence. He also treats a wide range of dystonias — focal, segmental and generalized — using both medical therapy and advanced surgical options when appropriate. In addition, he cares for patients with tic disorders and Tourette syndrome, working closely with families to create effective, personalized treatment strategies.
Known for his collaborative and compassionate approach, Dr. Elahi takes time to explain conditions and therapies in ways that are easy to understand. He partners with each patient to build treatment plans that align with their goals and lifestyle, emphasizing shared decision-making and ensuring patients feel supported throughout their care journey.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Elahi is also actively involved research focused on the electrophysiology of movement disorders, intraoperative neurophysiology and computational modeling of DBS. He is committed to advancing interdisciplinary care and access to neuromodulation therapies across the Chicagoland region.
Dr. Elahi provides expert care for Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes, helping patients manage symptoms and maintain independence. He also treats a wide range of dystonias — focal, segmental and generalized — using both medical therapy and advanced surgical options when appropriate. In addition, he cares for patients with tic disorders and Tourette syndrome, working closely with families to create effective, personalized treatment strategies.
Known for his collaborative and compassionate approach, Dr. Elahi takes time to explain conditions and therapies in ways that are easy to understand. He partners with each patient to build treatment plans that align with their goals and lifestyle, emphasizing shared decision-making and ensuring patients feel supported throughout their care journey.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Elahi is also actively involved research focused on the electrophysiology of movement disorders, intraoperative neurophysiology and computational modeling of DBS. He is committed to advancing interdisciplinary care and access to neuromodulation therapies across the Chicagoland region.
Specialties
Areas of Expertise
UChicago Medicine Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine - Hyde Park5758 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago IL 606371-888-824-0200
Board Certifications
- Clinical Neurophysiology
- Neurology
Languages Spoken
- English
Medical Education
- Tehran University of Medical Sciences; University of Toronto
Internship
- St Elizabeth Medical Center
Residency
- Tufts Medical center
Fellowship
- Mayo Clinic; Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Memberships & Medical Societies
- American Academy of Neurology
- American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine
- American Clinical Neurophysiology Society
- International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
News & Research
Insurance
- Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
- Aetna HMO (specialists only)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- Aetna POS
- Aetna PPO
- BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
- BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
- BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna HMO
- Cigna POS
- Cigna PPO
- CountyCare *see insurance page
- Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
- Medicare
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
- United Choice Plus POS/PPO
- United Choice HMO (specialists only)
- United Options (PPO)
- United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
- United W500 Emergent Wrap
- University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)
Our list of accepted insurance providers is subject to change at any time. You should contact your insurance company to confirm UChicago Medicine participates in their network before scheduling your appointment. If your insurance company is not listed here, or if you have any other questions, please contact Managed.Care@uchospitals.edu.
*Click Here to visit our insurance page and learn more.
UChicago Medicine is committed to fostering a corporate culture of ethical behavior and integrity in all matters related to compliance with the laws and regulations that govern the delivery of healthcare. This aspiration is central to supporting patient care, research, and teaching at UChicago Medicine.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.
Some of our physicians and health professionals collaborate with external pharmaceutical, medical device, or other medical related entities to develop new treatments and products to improve clinical outcomes for patients. In some instances, the physician has ownership interests in the external entity and/or is compensated for advising or speaking about the entity’s products or treatments. These payments may include compensation for consulting and speaking engagements, equity, and/or royalties for products invented by our physicians. To assure objectivity and integrity in patient care, UChicago Medicine requires all physicians and health professionals to report their relationships and financial interests with external entities on an annual basis. This information is used to review relationships and transactions that might give rise to potential financial conflicts of interest, and when considered to be significant a management plan to mitigate any biases is created.
If you are a patient at UChicago Medicine and would like more information about your physician’s external relationships, please talk with your physician. You may also visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments website at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ . CMS Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system. It houses a publicly accessible database of payments that reporting entities, including drug and medical device companies, make to covered recipients like physicians and hospitals.
Information in the CMS Open Payments database could potentially contain inaccurately reported and out of date payment information. All information is open to personal interpretation, if there are questions about the data, patients and their advocates should speak directly to their health care provider for a better understanding.