Northern Neurology was founded by Dr. John Kelly — a neurologist with over 35 years of experience and a lifelong love of Alaska.
After years of adventuring across the state (including one trip 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle), he bought a home in Fairbanks and planned to retire for good.
That didn't last. He missed his patients. He missed the work. And he saw that Alaskans across the state were struggling to access subspecialty neurological care without driving hours or flying out of state.
So he came back — not just to practice again, but to build something. Northern Neurology's main office is in Wasilla, with clinics in Fairbanks and Anchorage (coming soon), offering everything from MS specialty care to pediatric neurodevelopmental services.
The practice's mission comes down to two words Dr. Kelly repeats to his staff — exceptional and serve. Exceptional means going above and beyond the minimum. Serve means the patients aren't here for the practice; the practice is here for them.
Our Story
A Team That Shows Up
The mission statement at Northern Neurology comes down to two words: exceptional and serve. In practice, that looks like a nurse practitioner tracking down a grant so a patient who keeps falling can get a voice-activated device to call for help. It looks like Dr. Marshall answering her phone when a mom is in the ER and nobody's listening. It looks like Dr. Kelly walking through the infusion room multiple times a day — not because he has to, but because a nurse once caught a problem just by noticing a patient wasn't walking the same as usual. These aren't billable services. They're just how the practice operates.
The Whole Patient, Not Just the Diagnosis
Dr. Kelly's approach to MS care goes beyond the prescription pad. Alongside the latest IV treatments that can stop attacks with as little as one infusion every six months, the practice incorporates physical therapy, occupational therapy, yoga, and even the medicinal knowledge of Alaska Native plant traditions. The goal is to give patients a sense of control back. Dr. Marshall takes the same philosophy with her pediatric patients — she wants to see the child first, not the wheelchair, not the tubes, not the list of diagnoses. Her focus is meeting families where they are and building a team around each kid so they can thrive, not just survive.
Subspecialty Care, Close to Home
Northern Neurology brings services to Alaskans that have historically required long drives or out-of-state travel. With MS specialty clinics in Fairbanks and Anchorage, pediatric neurodevelopmental care through Dr. Marshall, and a full general neurology practice in Wasilla, patients can access EEGs, EMGs, infusion therapy, and ongoing subspecialty management without leaving the state. The team also does ambulatory EEG studies sent home with patients — something Dr. Kelly says no other practice in Alaska currently offers.
"We serve our patients. It's not the other way around. They're not here for us. We're here for them." - Dr. John Kelly