Dr. David Wolk, MD
Not yet claimedNeurologist · Physician (MD)
Philadelphia, PA
Dr. David Wolk is listed with the Penn Memory Center in Philadelphia, PA, where the focus is on dementia care. His profile has not yet been verified by our review team.
About Dr. David Wolk, MD
Updated Sep 20, 2026 · next review Dec 19, 2026Dr. David A. Wolk, MD, is a neurologist in Philadelphia who focuses on memory problems, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and cognitive impairment. He sees patients through Penn Medicine, with offices at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Penn Memory Center (Ralston House, 3615 Chestnut St.), and he is listed with privileges at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
He is a Professor of Neurology and Chief of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at Penn. He also directs the Penn Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (funded by the National Institute on Aging), and co-directs the Penn Memory Center and the Penn Institute on Aging. He trained at Dartmouth College (BA, 1994), Johns Hopkins University (MD, 1998), did his neurology residency at Penn, and completed fellowship training in cognitive and behavioral neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
Much of his public work is research on memory, aging, and brain imaging markers of Alzheimer's disease, such as amyloid and tau PET scans. In recent news coverage he has commented on new anti-amyloid drugs, calling the full FDA approval of lecanemab "a major milestone," while also saying these drugs are reasonably safe with careful monitoring and that the risk is not zero.
Federal Open Payments records list $36,037.09 in industry payments to him across 13 records from 2021 to 2025, with the largest from Beckman Coulter ($14,270.02) and GlaxoSmithKline ($13,000). Payments from industry to physicians, especially those doing research, are common and legal; the record itself does not indicate any wrongdoing.
- Leads Penn Alzheimer's research center
- He is Director of the Penn Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, which is funded by the National Institute on Aging, and Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center and the Penn Institute on Aging. pennmemorycenter.org
- Chief of cognitive neurology
- He is a Professor of Neurology and Chief of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. pennmemorycenter.org
- Fellowship in memory disorders
- He completed a neurology residency at Penn and a clinical fellowship in cognitive and behavioral neurology, plus a research fellowship, at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School. pennmemorycenter.org
- Medical school and college
- He earned a BA in psychology from Dartmouth College in 1994 and his MD from Johns Hopkins University in 1998. med.upenn.edu
- Neurology award
- He received the American Academy of Neurology's Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral Neurology. med.upenn.edu
- Research on brain scans for Alzheimer's
- He has published widely on memory, aging, and amyloid and tau PET imaging markers, including work with the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study (LEADS). alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- Public comments on new drugs
- He called the full FDA approval of lecanemab "a major milestone in the fight against Alzheimer's Disease" and described it as the first drug to clearly change the disease biology and slow progression. med.upenn.edu
- Notes drug risks too
- In a Pennsylvania Gazette feature he described lecanemab and donanemab as reasonably safe with careful monitoring, while stating the risk is not zero. thepenngazette.com
- Where he practices
- He is an attending neurologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, with offices at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Penn Memory Center. pennmedicine.org
- Industry payments on record
- CMS Open Payments lists $36,037.09 across 13 records from 2021 to 2025, with top payers Beckman Coulter, GlaxoSmithKline, GE HealthCare, Eli Lilly, and Life Molecular Imaging. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
Worth knowing
- Board certification is described on a commercial directory site (Healthgrades) but was not confirmed against a primary source such as the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Patients can ask his office or check the board directly. healthgrades.com
- The curriculum vitae posted on the Penn Memory Center site is an older version dated 2009, so it may not reflect current work. pennmemorycenter.org
- He has received payments from Eli Lilly, the maker of the Alzheimer's drug donanemab, and has spoken publicly about anti-amyloid drugs including donanemab. Such payments are common and legal, and no source alleges any problem. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$36,037
13 payments
| 2021 | $4,800 |
| 2022 | $3,300 |
| 2023 | $0 |
| 2024 | $12,565 |
| 2025 | $15,372 |
Top payers
- Beckman Coulter, Inc.$14,270
- GlaxoSmithKline, LLC.$13,000
- GE HEALTHCARE$4,800
- Eli Lilly and Company$3,925
- Life Molecular Imaging Ltd$42
Payment types
- Consulting Fee$27,325
- Compensation for services other than consulting, including serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue other than a continuing education program$4,800
- Compensation for serving as faculty or as a speaker for a medical education program$3,500
- Travel and Lodging$370
- Food and Beverage$42
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: pennmemorycenter.org · pennmedicine.org · med.upenn.edu · med.upenn.edu · med.upenn.edu · med.upenn.edu · pathology.med.upenn.edu · doctor.webmd.com. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above, reviewed every three months. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
Penn Memory Center
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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