Kennedy Krieger leaders elected to National Academy of Medicine

Kennedy Krieger Institute announced that Bradley L. Schlaggar, its chief executive officer and president, and Amy Bastian, its chief science officer, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. The announcement, dated October 21, 2026, said the two scientists are the first Kennedy Krieger clinicians or researchers admitted to the academy, which is an independent nonprofit committed to advancing science, informing policy and improving health outcomes. Membership recognizes scientific achievement and commitment to public service. Schlaggar leads a team of 3,500 full-time and part-time staff and faculty, while Bastian founded the Institute’s Center for Movement Studies.

The National Academy of Medicine described Schlaggar as a “thought leader in translational developmental neuroscience” and cited his foundational work on understanding typical and atypical brain development in children. Schlaggar joined Kennedy Krieger in 2018 and is a professor of neurology and pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. At the Institute, he holds the Zanvyl Krieger Faculty Endowed Chair. He attended medical and graduate school at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and later became head of pediatric and developmental neurology there. He also co-founded the Flux Society for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, an international society focused on understanding human brain development.

The academy recognized Bastian for her “fundamental work on cerebellar control of movement, sensorimotor learning, and novel rehabilitation approaches for people with neurological damage.” As chief science officer, she champions research and innovation at Kennedy Krieger. Her own research centers on how people with or without neurological damage control movement. Bastian joined the Institute in 2001 and is a professor of neuroscience and neurology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She earned her doctoral degree in movement science at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In 2023, Bastian was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and the Kennedy Krieger announcement described her as the first and only member of that academy from the Institute.

Kennedy Krieger Board Chair Ronald R. Peterson said it had been a “personal pleasure” to learn of the two elections in the same year. In the Institute’s announcement, he described Schlaggar and Bastian as career-long champions of the premise that neuroscience discoveries can inform advances in the clinical care of children with disorders of the developing nervous system. Peterson said the two scientists had advanced science, clinical care, policy development, advocacy and community service in their respective roles. The announcement also said the pair were known for their contributions to neuroscience and that their election reflected well on them as leaders and on Kennedy Krieger Institute.

The elections are professional distinctions rather than reports of a new clinical intervention, diagnostic test or trial outcome. The supplied announcement did not present results from a controlled study or make recommendations for patients; instead, it documented the academy’s recognition of the scientists’ bodies of work and identified the research areas underlying those distinctions. Kennedy Krieger is a nonprofit organization in the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C., region that says it serves nearly 30,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient medical care, behavioral health and wellness therapies, home and community services, school-based programs, training and education for professionals, and advocacy. Its investigators work to understand how nervous-system disorders develop and to develop new interventions and methods of early diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

Subject of Research: National Academy of Medicine recognition of Kennedy Krieger scientists’ work in developmental neuroscience and movement science

Article Title: National Academy of Medicine elects Kennedy Krieger's CEO and president; chief science officer to its membership

Article References: National Academy of Medicine elects Kennedy Krieger's CEO and president; chief science officer to its membership. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: Kennedy Krieger Institute, National Academy of Medicine, Bradley Schlaggar, Amy Bastian, developmental neuroscience, movement science, sensorimotor learning, brain development, neurological rehabilitation, scientific achievement, National, Academy