Alissa D'Gama

Dr. Alissa D'Gama is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an Attending Physician in the Division of Newborn Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she directs the Neonatal Neurogenetics Program. She completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University (2011) and earned both her MD and PhD from Harvard Medical School via the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program (2016, 2018). Her postdoctoral training was conducted under Drs. Annapurna Poduri and Timothy Yu at Boston Children’s Hospital.

• Undergraduate: Harvard University (2011)
• Graduate: Harvard Medical School (2016)
• Medical School: Harvard Medical School (2018)
• Pediatrics Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program (2020)
• Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship: Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Training Program (2024)

Dr. D'Gama’s research focuses on the intersection of developmental neuroscience, genetics/genomics, and neonatology. She investigates somatic and germline genetic variants in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly neonatal epilepsy and related conditions. Her work includes translational research on precision diagnostics and therapies for infants with neurological and genetic diseases. Key areas include genomic medicine, somatic mosaicism, and rare pediatric disorders.

Her recent publications highlight advancements in genomic sequencing applications for neonatal diagnostics, including studies on epilepsy-related genetic mutations, ultra-deep sequencing in autism, and equitable access to genomic care in safety-net NICUs. She has contributed to consensus guidelines for ultra-rare disease reporting and developed models for integrating rapid genome sequencing into clinical workflows.

Dr. D'Gama is also involved in clinical education and innovation through the Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Training Program and the Neonatal Neurogenetics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her lab aims to bridge molecular discoveries with clinical trials for pediatric neurogenetic conditions.