Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency Program: Current and Previous Fellows

Current Fellows:
 

Fatima Ismail, M.B.S.S.

Birth place:  Dubai, United Arab Emirates
College/Medical School:  College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University
Residency:  Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Harriet Lane Pediatrics Program
Reason for pursuing NDD: NDD training allows for unprecedented exposure to the best of the two worlds: pediatric neurology and developmental medicine.  For the new generation of pediatric neurologists, a well-founded knowledge in the basics of child development which is basically a reflection of brain maturation and function is important for offering comprehensive and integrated management for their patients. For someone who seeks a career in clinical research and academia, the program offers a year designated for research that is embedded in the curriculum and offers individualized mentorship for trainees. Finally, one of my career goals is to establish comprehensive neurology and neurodevelopmental services in the UAE and Kennedy Krieger faculty and staff are leaders in the field. 

Ryan E. Gill, M.D.

Birth place:  Long Island, NY
College:  Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of the City University of New York
Medical school: Albany Medical College
Residency:  New York Medical College – Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Pediatrics
Reason for pursuing NDD: Discovering the existence of NDD programs was a perfect fit for my interest in caring and advocating for children with developmental disabilities. There seemed no better way to care completely and understand fully the child with special needs than to train in a program that encompasses and values both neurology and development, not seeing the two as separate entities but crucial aspects of one another. 

Cathleen Marshall, M.D.

Birth place: Baltimore, MD
College: Loyola College
Medical school: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Residency: University of Maryland Medical Center
Reason for pursuing NDD: I first became interested in NDD at the age of 17, when I began working as a support specialist for a little girl, Maggie who had spastic athetoid cerebral palsy.  Maggie soon became one of my closest friends and has taught me more about medicine than any other single experience, including medical school.
I am pursuing a career in academic medicine specializing in the treatment of pediatric neurodevelopmental disorder with a focus on neurodevelopment, neuroplasticity and neuroprotection. I hope to integrate my experiences working directly with children who have neurodevelopmental disabilities with my background in translational and clinical research to generate research questions specifically addressing changes at the cellular level observed after brain injury and hopes to find ways to mediate this reaction.

Amena Weston Smith, M.D., Ph.D.

Birth place: Augusta, GA
College: Lee University, Cleveland, TN
Medical school: Medical University of South Carolina, Medical Scientist Training Program, Charleston, SC
Residency: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Categorical Pediatrics, Baltimore, MD
Reason for pursuing NDD: I pursued NDD because this field combines all of my academic interests including developmental pediatrics, neurology and behavioral psychology. I also love that I’ll have the flexibility during training to continue translational research in neuroscience and neurodevelopment.  I have always enjoyed working with children and families and collaborating with providers on a multi-disciplinary team to create holistic care plans for my patients. I chose NDD over pediatric neurology because overall I hope to serve in a primary care and advocacy role for children with disabilities rather than serve as an expert focusing only on the neurologic aspect of care. 

Eric Chin, M.D.

Birth place: Los Angeles, CA
College: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Medical school: University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, TN
Residency: Our Lady of the Lake Pediatrics Residence Program (PGY-1), Baton Rouge, LA; Hershey Medical Center Pediatrics Residency Program (PGY-1-2), Hershey, PA
Reason for pursuing NDD: My background in computational and neural systems has led me toward a basic science/systems perspective on the nervous system. As such, my research in neuroimaging has focused on rigorously quantifying core aspects of neurodevelopment (e.g. myelination). An academic career in NDD offers the opportunity to investigate these fundamental processes while directly applying new insights toward comprehensive care of a complex and often underserved population.

Previous Fellows:

Neurdevelopmental Disabilities Residency Program Application