Phillip L. Pearl
Phillip L. Pearl is an American child neurologist, epileptologist, educator, and musician. He is currently the Director of the Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Division and William G. Lennox Chair in the Department of Neurology at Boston Children's Hospital, and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
He is known for his research on inherited metabolic epilepsies, particularly disorders of GABA metabolism such as succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. He is also active in the intersection of medicine and music and is affiliated with the Berklee College of Music's Music and Health Institute.
Biography
Originally from Baltimore, Pearl studied natural sciences at Johns Hopkins University, where he earned his undergraduate degree with honors in 1980. He received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1984.He completed his pediatric training at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by residency in neurology and child neurology.
He then undertook fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Boston Children's Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
In addition to his clinical training, Pearl pursued professional development in medical education and leadership. He completed the Master Teacher's Program in Medical Education and earned a graduate certificate in leadership development at George Washington University. He later attended the Program for Chiefs of Clinical Services at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Career
Pearl returned to the Mid-Atlantic after completion of training at Harvard and held overlapping teaching and clinical roles across several institutions from the early 1990s through 2013. He served as Director of Medical Student Education in Neurology at George Washington University from 2002-2013, Child Neurology Program Director at Children's National Medical Center from 2002-2011, and Division Chief of Child Neurology from 2011-2013.In 2014, Pearl joined Boston Children's Hospital as Director of the Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Division and the William G. Lennox Chair in the Department of Neurology and was appointed Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
His academic work expanded to include Director of the Harvard Medical School Leadership Program in Pediatrics and visiting professorships throughout the US and world. He currently serves on the board of the International Child Neurology Association.
He is Past President of the Child Neurology Society and the Professors and Educators of Child Neurology.
Research and works
Pearl's primary research focus is on inherited metabolic epilepsies, especially those involving GABA metabolism, such as SSADHD. In collaboration with K. Michael Gibson PhD, he helped define clinical and neurophysiological features of the disorder and has maintained NIH research funding since 2004. He is currently the Principal Investigator on the NIH supported natural history study of the disorder.He has written or edited eight books one translated into Chinese and another into Japanese, including Inherited Metabolic Epilepsies, currently in its second edition.
Pearl served as an editor for the sixth edition and is co-editor in chief of the seventh edition of Swaiman's Pediatric Neurology.
Music and Medicine
A percussionist since childhood, Pearl studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, performed with the American Youth Symphony in high school, and with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra. He was Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Music at George Washington University and is currently a member of the Music and Health Institute at Berklee College of Music.He has presented internationally on the neurological conditions of historical musicians and regularly integrates music into his teaching and public lectures.
His debut CD, Live at Jazzmatazz, was recorded at Blues Alley Jazz Club, with proceeds having supported pediatric care. He is Director of the Music Curriculum of the Neurology Through Art and Time Program of the International Child Neurology Association.