WashU Medicine Neurology is very pleased to announce that Bhooma Aravamuthan, MD, DPhil, FAAN, FCNS, will join the leadership of the department as chief of the Section of Cerebral Palsy and Pediatric Movement Disorders in the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology.
Aravamuthan earned her undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry, Physiology and Bioethics at Michigan State University, graduating as valedictorian. She completed her doctoral degree (DPhil) in Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and medical school at WashU Medicine, jointly funded by the George C. Marshall Scholarship, the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program and the WashU Medical Scientist Training Program. Her doctoral thesis focused on brainstem network dynamics in the parkinsonian brain in rats and people, a translational focus she carries with her today. She completed pediatrics training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, child neurology training at Boston Children’s Hospital and a movement disorders fellowship at Boston Children’s/Massachusetts General Hospital before returning to WashU Medicine as faculty in 2018. The Cerebral Palsy and Mobility Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital has grown and thrived under her leadership, including via implementation of standardized documentation, video capture, pediatric-to-adult transition planning and community-facing initiatives, including Cerebral Palsy Family Day, which prepares families to navigate lifespan CP care.
Aravamuthan’s clinical and research expertise is in the diagnosis and treatment of dystonia in cerebral palsy. She has had continuous NIH funding since 2016, including ongoing R01 funding, and is supported through multiple governmental, foundation, and philanthropic awards. Her research has been recognized with the 2022 Child Neurology Society Dodge Young Investigator Award and the 2022 American Academy of Neurology Jon Stolk Award. Aravamuthan’s national leadership roles include four years chairing the national meetings for the Child Neurology Society and American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, serving as ex officio board member for the American Neurological Association, Board positions in multiple national foundations, and multiple leadership roles within the Cerebral Palsy Research Network, a 35-institution learning health system dedicated to improving CP care. She also serves as the American Academy of Neurology Disability Equity Spokesperson and is a staunch advocate for lifespan care for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities.