Dr. Vernino is a Professor of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he serves as the executive vice chair and director of the autonomic disorders program. He holds the Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation Distinguished Chair in Neuromuscular Disease Research. 

Dr. Vernino earned an MD and PhD in Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed neurology residency and fellowship training in neuroimmunology and EMG at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He is Board Certified in Neurology, Neuromuscular Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Autonomic Disorders. He currently serves on the board of directors of the American Autonomic Society and  the medical advisory boards of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, The MSA Coalition, and Dysautonomia International. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Neurological Association. Dr. Vernino has been recognized as an outstanding clinician, researcher and teacher with numerous awards. He was the 1998 recipient of the AAN Founders Award, 2013 recipient of the AAN program director award, and 2016 Regents Outstanding Teacher Award from the University of Texas system.

Dr. Vernino has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles as well as dozens of book chapters. His main research interest has been in treatment of autonomic disorders and in helping to establish the field of autoimmune neurology. Most notably, he identified the presence of antibodies to ganglionic acetylcholine receptors as the cause of a rare disorder of the autonomic nervous system, autoimmune autonomic neuropathy, as well as characterizing several neurological antibodies related to paraneoplastic disorders.