As of Sept. 1, 2025, Christopher Smyser, MD, will be the next division director of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at WashU Medicine Neurology. He succeeds Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, who has served as division director of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology since 2018.
Smyser began his training at the University of Iowa, earning his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering. After working as an engineer, he returned to the University of Iowa to attend medical school and complete his pediatrics residency training. He then moved to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for pediatric neurology residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, serving as chief resident in his final year of training. Smyser joined the faculty at WashU Medicine Neurology in 2009, where he established and subsequently led the Neonatal Neurology Clinical Program and the Baker Family Fellowship in Neonatal Neurology. He has directed the Neonatal Neurology section in the Division of Pediatric Neurology since 2018 and was named the associate director for the Division in 2024. He has served in leadership roles for multiple national and international clinical organizations, and he recently co-directed efforts to establish a certification pathway for training in neonatal neurocritical care through the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties.
Smyser’s field-leading multidisciplinary research focuses on the use of advanced neuroimaging techniques to provide a greater understanding of early brain development and neurodevelopmental disabilities. He is co-director of the WashU Neonatal Developmental Research (WUNDER) Laboratory, where he uses MRI to investigate brain development in high-risk pediatric populations ranging from infants through adolescents. He has received NIH funding continuously for more than a decade and is currently the principal investigator for multiple NIH-supported longitudinal studies focused on defining the effects of prematurity, brain injury, and environmental exposures on neurodevelopmental and psychiatric outcomes. He co-directs the Data Coordinating Center for the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Consortium, the largest long-term study of early brain and child development in the U.S., and the Developmental Neuroimaging Core for the WashU Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC). Smyser has received numerous awards, including a recent MERIT Award from the NIH, in recognition of his outstanding research. He also has a strong track record of mentorship and teaching, working extensively with trainees ranging from undergraduate students to postdoctoral associates across clinical and research spaces.
Gurnett, the A. Ernest & Jane G. Stein Professor of Neurology, began her journey at WashU Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital in 2000 as a resident. She joined the faculty in 2004 and rose swiftly through the academic ranks, attaining the position of full professor in 2017. In 2018, she was appointed Division Chief of Pediatric Neurology at WashU Medicine and Neurologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Under her leadership, the division has flourished, achieving national prominence. Her collaborative and compassionate leadership style has fostered a strong sense of community, marked by a healthy, inclusive and supportive culture.
Throughout her tenure, Gurnett has maintained a highly productive neurogenetics research program, focusing on gene discovery for rare neurogenetic disorders with implications for diagnosis and therapeutic development. Clinically, she has specialized in pediatric epilepsy, earning the respect of colleagues and patients alike. She has also held numerous leadership roles across the medical school and the broader university, including associate director of the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and co-director of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC). She will be missed as she transitions to her new role at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Please join department leadership in thanking Gurnett for her many years of service and welcoming Smyser to his new leadership role as director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at WashU Medicine Neurology.