Steven J. Kittner

Steven J. Kittner, MD, MPH, serves as Professor of Neurology with a secondary appointment in Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Based at the Bressler Research Building, he maintains an active clinical practice focused on regional referrals for young-adult stroke patients and directs internationally recognized research on stroke epidemiology and genetics.

His educational trajectory includes a BA in Psychology from Brown University, MD from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, MPH from Johns Hopkins, Internal Medicine residency at Baltimore City Hospitals/John Hopkins, Neurology residency at University of Maryland, and Cardiovascular Epidemiology fellowship at NHLBI.

Dr. Kittner pioneered the Baltimore-Washington Young Stroke Study to investigate genetic, biochemical, and demographic risk factors for early-onset ischemic stroke, with seminal work on pregnancy-associated stroke, racial disparities (particularly African-American excess risk), and biomarkers like homocysteine. As founding member and Administrative PI of the NINDS Stroke Genetics Network (SiGN), he led international consortia that identified novel stroke-specific genetic loci through genome-wide association studies.

His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on translational stroke research, evolving from foundational epidemiological studies (1990s) to contemporary genetic architecture mapping (2010s), with over 175 peer-reviewed works including landmark SiGN consortium papers.

Key recognitions include:

• American Epidemiological Society election (1995)
• Golden Hammer Award for clinical teaching (1998)
• American Neurological Association election (2000)
• 25+ years continuous NIH funding (NINDS/NHLBI/NIA)
• AHA's E. David Gibbons Research Award (2007)

Funded by NIH, AHA, CDC, and VA, his work bridges clinical neurology and population science through the International Stroke Genetics Consortium. He maintains active leadership in MEGASTROKE initiatives while providing specialized care for young stroke survivors through his outpatient practice.