BALTIMORE, June 30, 2025—Catherine Chu, M.D., M.A., M.M.Sc., a child neurologist with expertise in epilepsy and neurophysiology, or the function of the nervous system, joins Kennedy Krieger Institute as vice president of child neurology. Dr. Chu also will serve as director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology and director of the John M. Freeman Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
In this new role, Dr. Chu oversees more than 50 child neurologists at Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and seeks to grow child neurology services and training at both hospitals, continuing to enhance collaboration among clinicians and researchers.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Chu was a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she had served as director of the pediatric neurology residency program, founded the hospital’s dedicated pediatric electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring program as well as the region’s largest pediatric responsive neurostimulation program, and ran a federally funded translational clinical neurophysiology laboratory. In addition to her appointment at Massachusetts General, she was an associate professor of neurology and a faculty member at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and in the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Her research program centers on identifying causes and treatment options for cognitive dysfunction and seizures in epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders.
“I am excited to join the faculty at Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins where I know we can make a long-term impact in the understanding and treatment of neurological disorders in children,” Dr. Chu said. “Our capacity for new research and clinical achievements is tremendous, and I anticipate this only continuing to grow.”
Dr. Chu earned a bachelor’s degree in biological psychology from the University of Washington and then attended Harvard University, obtaining both her medical degree and a master’s degree in social anthropology. She completed an internship in pediatrics at Massachusetts General, and then a residency in neurology and child neurology at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also finished two fellowships at Massachusetts General, studying both epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology.
In addition to these achievements, Dr. Chu later received a master’s degree in medical science, focusing on clinical investigation, from Harvard Medical School.
“Dr. Chu has a tremendous ability to unify teams across different fields and disciplines to advance patient care and knowledge. She has grown leading clinical programs and brings an accomplished background of research achievement that will allow us to provide the most up-to-date interventions,” said Brad Schlaggar, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger. “We are eager to expand our expertise in epilepsy and neurophysiology and continue to grow our collaborative partnership with Johns Hopkins to improve the lives of young patients with neurological disorders.”
“Dr. Chu brings tremendous experience from Massachusetts General Hospital to Johns Hopkins to grow our epilepsy program,” said Justin McArthur, M.B.B.S., professor and director of the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “She is also a powerful role model as a National Institutes of Health-funded physician scientist.”
###
About Kennedy Krieger Institute
Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally known, non-profit organization located in the greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region, transforms the lives of nearly 30,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient medical, behavioral health and wellness therapies, home and community services, school-based programs, training and education for professionals and advocacy. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children, adolescents and adults with diseases, disorders or injuries that impact the nervous system, ranging from mild to severe. The Institute is home to a team of investigators who contribute to the understanding of how disorders develop, while at the same time pioneer new interventions and methods of early diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Visit www.kennedykrieger.org/ for more information about Kennedy Krieger.
