Chris Smyser, MD, MSCI, will join the leadership of the Department of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis as the associate director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology.
Smyser attended medical school and completed his pediatrics residency at the University of Iowa prior to coming to Washington University for his pediatric neurology residency. He joined the faculty in 2009, establishing and subsequently leading the Neonatal Neurology Clinical Program, which has now extended beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to include services across the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia/ECMO Clinic, Fetal Care Center and the Baker Family Fellowship in Neonatal Neurology. He has also served in leadership roles for multiple national and international clinical and research organizations, and he recently co-directed a task force which established a certification pathway for training in neonatal neurocritical care through the United Council for Neurological Subspecialties.
An engineer by training, Smyser’s multidisciplinary field-leading research focuses on the use of advanced neuroimaging techniques to provide a greater understanding of early brain development and the pathway to neurodevelopmental disabilities. He is co-director of the Washington University Neonatal Developmental Research (WUNDER) laboratory, where he uses multimodal MRI to investigate brain development in high-risk pediatric populations ranging from infants through adolescents. He is currently the principal investigator for multiple NIH-funded longitudinal studies focused on defining the effects of prematurity, brain injury and environmental exposures on neurodevelopmental and psychiatric outcomes. He also co-directs the Data Coordinating Center for the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Consortium and the Clinical-Translational Core for the Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC). Smyser has received numerous awards for his research, including, most recently, a MERIT Award from the NIH.
In his new role, Smyser will work closely with Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, to direct faculty development and recruitment, finance and research activities in the division.