Annapurna Poduri

Annapurna Poduri is a prominent researcher and clinician in the field of epilepsy genetics. She serves as Director of the Epilepsy Genetics and Neurogenetics Programs and Associate Chief for Academic Development in the Department of Neurology at Boston Children's Hospital. In September 2024, she was appointed as Deputy Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Dr. Poduri also holds the Diamond Blackfan Chair of Neuroscience Research at Boston Children's Hospital and maintains an active research laboratory within the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center.

Dr. Poduri received her BA in Biology from Harvard University (1994), MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (1998), and MPH from Harvard School of Public Health (2007). Her clinical training includes pediatric residency at Boston Children's Hospital, child neurology residency at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and fellowships in clinical neurophysiology and neurogenetics at Boston Children's Hospital.

Dr. Poduri's research program, launched in 2013, focuses on the genetics of epilepsy, particularly severe early-onset epilepsies including malignant migrating partial epilepsy of infancy, infantile spasms, Ohtahara Syndrome, and Dravet Syndrome. Her laboratory employs zebrafish models to study epilepsy-related genes and develop high-throughput screening for potential therapeutics. The lab also maintains the PCDH19-Related Epilepsy Registry in collaboration with the PCDH19 Alliance and leads the Epilepsy Genetics Initiative (EGI), a centralized database for re-analyzing genetic data from individuals with epilepsy.

Dr. Poduri's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on genomic approaches to epilepsy diagnosis, with significant contributions to understanding somatic mosaicism in epilepsy, zebrafish modeling of epilepsy genes, and genotype-phenotype correlations in neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work bridges clinical research and bench science, creating a sustainable paradigm for translational research in genetic epilepsy with the goal of advancing precision medicine approaches.

• Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award from the American Academy of Neurology
• Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award from the American Neurological Association (2015)
• Diamond Blackfan Chair of Neuroscience Research (May 2022)
• Recognized as one of the Harvard Club of Boston's Most Influential Women (February 2020)

Dr. Poduri actively mentors junior researchers, with lab members receiving prestigious career development grants. She collaborates internationally through the International Precision Child Health Partnership (IPCHiP), which includes institutions in London, Melbourne, and Toronto. Her leadership extends to developing consensus guidelines for genetic research in epilepsy, and she has been featured in Science Magazine, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal for her contributions to advancing precision medicine approaches to epilepsy treatment.