Sonia Arora Ballal

Sonia Arora Ballal, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an attending physician at Boston Children's Hospital. She holds multiple roles including Divisional Wellness Officer, Associate Director of the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Program, and leadership in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center. Her clinical expertise focuses on gastrointestinal disorders such as celiac disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, and autism-related GI issues.

Education:

• Medical School: The George Washington University School of Medicine (Washington, DC)
• Residency: Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, MD)
• Fellowship: Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA)

Research Interests: Dr. Ballal’s work emphasizes the gut microbiome’s role in pediatric health, genotype-phenotype correlations in genetic syndromes (e.g., Kleefstra Syndrome), and addressing microaggressions in academic medical settings. She actively investigates gastrointestinal endoscopy findings in neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic variants affecting growth/development.

Publications: Her recent work spans clinical genetics, intervention frameworks for healthcare equity, and pediatric gastroenterology. Key themes include rare disease characterization, developmental disorders, and improving healthcare environments.

Labs/Teams: Involved in the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Therapeutics Program and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Boston Children's Hospital.