Amal Isaiah

Dr. Amal Isaiah is a Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He holds secondary appointments in Pediatrics and Diagnostic Radiology Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Isaiah serves as Chief of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology and Director of Resident Research in his department. He is also a faculty member in the Program in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland and a co-investigator in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

Dr. Isaiah completed his medical education at St. John's Medical College in Bangalore, India, followed by a DPhil in Neuroscience at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He completed his residency in Otolaryngology and fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at the University of Maryland and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, respectively. He is board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Complex Pediatric Otolaryngology.

His primary research focuses on brain outcomes in children with sleep disordered breathing, using advanced machine learning and statistical modeling techniques. Dr. Isaiah has developed five technologies related to sleep apnea and upper airway obstruction. With over 70 peer-reviewed publications, 7 book chapters, and numerous national and international presentations, he leads a productive research group investigating the neural correlates of pediatric sleep disorders. His work has received international attention and is funded by an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Isaiah's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and brain development in children and adolescents. His research spans multiple methodologies including functional neuroimaging, machine learning applications, and clinical trials examining treatment outcomes. A significant portion of his recent work utilizes data from the ABCD study to examine how sleep problems affect cognitive development.

• Rhodes Scholarship
• Duane Sewell, MD Resident Research Award
• Maryland Society of Otolaryngology Resident Research Award
• Delegate, International Achievement Summit
• Gerber Foundation Early Career Award

Dr. Isaiah currently serves as Principal Investigator on an NIH/NHLBI R01 grant (1R01HL167012) examining treatment-related outcomes of sleep disordered breathing using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. He is also a co-investigator on the ABCD PRISM Consortium grant. His research group has successfully enrolled over 400 children in clinical studies related to sleep-disordered breathing. Dr. Isaiah collaborates extensively with researchers at UC Merced, UT Southwestern, and UT Arlington, bringing together expertise in neuroscience, otolaryngology, and computer science.

Dr. Isaiah maintains an active clinical practice focused on pediatric ear, nose, and throat disorders, with special expertise in sleep disorders, airway problems, ear infections, and hearing loss. He is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and Sleep Research Society.