Michael Georgieff

Michael K. Georgieff is a Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School's Department of Pediatrics and the Institute of Child Development. He holds the Martin Lenz Harrison Land Grant Chair in Pediatrics, serves as Executive Vice Chair of Pediatrics, and directs the Center for Neurobehavioral Development and co-directs the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain. His work bridges clinical neonatology and developmental neuroscience, focusing on fetal/neonatal nutrition's lifelong impact on brain function.

• MD from Washington University in St. Louis
• Completed neonatal fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Minnesota

Dr. Georgieff investigates how early life nutritional factors, particularly iron, shape brain development and cognitive outcomes. His research identifies critical developmental windows, explores epigenetic mechanisms, and links neonatal adversity to lifelong mental health risks. Current projects examine antibiotic exposure effects on memory and interventions for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

His publications (over 250) reflect collaborations with international organizations like UNICEF and WHO, emphasizing nutrition policy. Key studies include genetic models of iron deficiency, longitudinal choline trials, and cross-population analyses of growth stunting.

Scientific Recognition

• Martin Lenz Harrison Land Grant Chair

As a principal investigator continuously funded by NIH since 1992, Dr. Georgieff mentors through multiple training grants (MSTP, GPN, CTSI) and welcomes new PhD co-advising opportunities in 2026. His lab collaborates with the Center for Neurobehavioral Development and international research groups to translate findings from bench to policy.