Annapurna Poduri, M.D., M.P.H.

Job Title
Deputy Director
Image
Image
Photo of NINDS Deputy Director Annapurna Poduri
Office
Office of the Director
Areas of Interest

epilepsy; basic, translational, and clinical work in pediatric neurological disorders

Contact
Contact Email

Dr. Annapurna (Ann) Poduri joined the NINDS in October 2024 as Deputy Director. Previously, she served as founder and director of the Epilepsy Genetics Program and Associate Chief for Academic Development in the Department of Neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. For many years, she has pursued the genetic causes of epilepsy from the clinic to the laboratory, with early work involving novel discovery of somatic mutation in pediatric brain disease.

After her undergraduate studies at Harvard University and medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Poduri trained in pediatrics and child neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Following a clinical fellowship in epilepsy and post-doctoral training in neurogenetics at Boston Children’s, she led a laboratory in the Department of Neurology’s F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center. Dr. Poduri serves as an elected member of the Board of the American Epilepsy Society and has served as an invited member of the Genomics Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy, Chair of the American Epilepsy Society/NINDS Benchmarks Stewards Committee, member of the NINDS NST1 study section, and on scientific advisory boards for foundations devoted to developing precision medicine for patients with epilepsy. Her collaborative research and mentorship contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the American Neurological Association’s Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award, the American Academy of Neurology’s Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award, and the Harvard Club of Boston’s Most Influential Women designation. 

In addition to her role as Deputy Director, Dr. Poduri will lead a laboratory focusing on epilepsy genetics at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.