Catherine Limperopoulos, MSc, PhD

Catherine Limperopoulos, Ph.D., is Center Director of Prenatal, Neonatal & Maternal Health Research and Director & Chief of the Developing Brain Institute (DBI) at Children’s National. Dr. Limperopoulos is also (tenured) Professor of Radiology, Neurology and Pediatrics and Professor of  Obstetrics and Gynecology at the George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine & Health Sciences. She also was named the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation Distinguished Professor of Maternal-Infant Health, an appointment that honors her unique achievements and that supports her groundbreaking research to improve the lives of children and families. Dr. Limperopoulos is at the forefront of clinical research and translational efforts focused on accelerating screening, diagnosing, treating and preventing prenatal onset brain disorders to improve child health and well-being for life. She is an occupational therapist and pediatric neuroscientist who has demonstrated repeated successes in completing novel, patient-centered clinical and translational research in uncomplicated and high-risk pregnant women and neurodiagnostic and neurodevelopmental surveillance in high-risk fetuses and preterm infants.   Primarily, Dr. Limperopoulos conducts studies which center on the causes and consequences of adverse prenatal environments and brain and placental development in high-risk fetal, preterm and infant populations, and she continues to develop novel tools and precision medicine solutions to diseases that have their origins in the womb but don’t fully manifest until later. Essential to her research is applying advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to identify important biomarkers and to better elucidate the timing and evolution of impaired brain maturation, as well as the brain’s adaptive responses. Her lab leads the world in applying advanced imaging techniques to identify early brain and placental biomarkers of risk and resilience for neurodevelopmental impairment. Her goal is to develop early and reliable signals that can identify the high-risk fetus prior to irreversible brain injury.   Dr. Limperopoulos also leads the Clark Parent & Child Network Prenatal-Neonatal Pillar, supported by a transformational $36 million investment in women and their babies by the Clark Foundation. The project is one of many she has developed that links parents to needed resources and time-sensitive mental health support, including the DC Mother-Baby Wellness program and DC Perinatal Consortium. These activities underscore her commitment to service and a determination to discover the optimal delivery of screening and low-cost interventions aimed at reducing the striking health disparities experienced by marginalized groups, starting in the District and advancing through partnerships around the world.