Phillip L. Pearl

Phillip L. Pearl
Phillip L. Pearl playing jazz piano for his patients
Born
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materJohns Hopkins University (B.S.)
University of Maryland School of Medicine (M.D.)
Scientific career
FieldsNeurologist and author

Phillip L. Pearl is an American child neurologist, epileptologist, educator, and musician. [1]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[2], and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. [3]

He is known for his research on inherited metabolic epilepsies, particularly disorders of GABA metabolism such as succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency (SSADHD). [4]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.[5][6]

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. [1]

He completed his pediatric training at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by residency in neurology and child neurology. [7]

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.[1]

In addition to his clinical training, Pearl pursued professional development in medical education and leadership.[2] He completed the Master Teacher’s Program in Medical Education and earned a graduate certificate in leadership development at George Washington University. [3]He later attended the Program for Chiefs of Clinical Services at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.[1]

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.[8] He served as Director of Medical Student Education in Neurology at George Washington University (GWU) 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.[9]

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. [10]

His academic work expanded to include Director of the Harvard Medical School Leadership Program in Pediatrics and visiting professorships throughout the US and world. [11] He currently serves on the board of the International Child Neurology Association.[2]

Research and works

Pearl's primary research focus is on inherited metabolic epilepsies, especially those involving GABA metabolism, such as SSADHD.[12]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.[13] He is currently the Principal Investigator on the NIH supported natural history study of the disorder.[14]

He has written or edited eight books one translated into Chinese and another into Japanese[1], including Inherited Metabolic Epilepsies, currently in its second edition.[3]

Pearl served as an editor for the sixth edition and is co-editor in chief (with Steve Ashwal) of the seventh edition of Swaiman’s Pediatric Neurology.[1]

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.[7] He was Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Music at George Washington University[15] and is currently a member of the Music and Health Institute at Berklee College of Music.[16]

He has presented internationally on the neurological conditions of historical musicians and regularly integrates music into his teaching and public lectures. [17]

His debut CD, Live at Jazzmatazz, was recorded at Blues Alley Jazz Club, with proceeds having supported pediatric care.[1] He is Director of the Music Curriculum of the Neurology Through Art and Time Program of the International Child Neurology Association.[18]

Personal life

Pearl was widowed in 1998 and has been married to Maria Tartaglia Pearl, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital, since 2000.[19] He has four children and five grandchildren.[20]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Conversation with Drs. Phillip L. Pearl, MD and Christopher Walsh, MD, Phd (Recorded at Boston Children's Hospital)". Child Neurology Society. September 1, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Paradis, Katie (July 15, 2025). "The dopamine reset: Restoring what's missing in AADC deficiency". Boston Children's Answers. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "A conversation about The Idea of Epilepsy: Dr. Phillip Pearl and Dr. Simon Shorvon // International League Against Epilepsy". www.ilae.org. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  4. ^ Parviz, Mahsa; Vogel, Kara; Gibson, K. Michael; Pearl, Phillip L. (November 25, 2014). "Disorders of GABA metabolism: SSADH and GABA-transaminase deficiencies". Journal of Pediatric Epilepsy. 3 (4): 217–227. doi:10.3233/PEP-14097. ISSN 2146-457X. PMC 4256671. PMID 25485164.
  5. ^ "Annals of the Child Neurology Society". Wiley Online Library. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  6. ^ "Phillip L. Pearl, MD, Edits Two New Books on Epilepsy". Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Music, epilepsy, and the brain: Dr. Phillip Pearl and Prof. Nigel Osborne // International League Against Epilepsy". www.ilae.org. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  8. ^ Pearl, Phillip L. (2024). "The neurology of creativity: 2023 Hower lecture". Annals of the Child Neurology Society. 2 (1): 6–14. doi:10.1002/cns3.20067. ISSN 2831-3267.
  9. ^ "Philip Pearl – EACD 2024 Bruges". Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  10. ^ Volkers, Nancy. "A conversation about The Idea of Epilepsy: Dr. Phillip Pearl and Dr. Simon Shorvon // International League Against Epilepsy". www.ilae.org. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  11. ^ "Sixth Annual Lillian Pardo, M.D., Pediatric Neurology Lecture". www.kumc.edu. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  12. ^ Tokatly Latzer, Itay; Pearl, Phillip L. (May 2025). "Update on inherited disorders of GABA metabolism". European journal of paediatric neurology: EJPN: official journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society. 56: 10–16. doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2025.03.015. ISSN 1532-2130.
  13. ^ Pearl, Phillip L.; Capp, Philip K.; Novotny, Edward J.; Gibson, K. Michael (December 2005). "Inherited disorders of neurotransmitters in children and adults". Clinical Biochemistry. 38 (12): 1051–1058. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2005.09.012. ISSN 0009-9120.
  14. ^ "Sixth Annual Lillian Pardo, M.D., Pediatric Neurology Lecture". www.kumc.edu.
  15. ^ "GW Professor Featured in WAMU for Blending Medicine and Music". School of Medicine and Health Sciences. December 1, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  16. ^ Weeks, Kim (December 21, 2020). "Year-End Letter from CNS President, Phillip L. Pearl, MD". Child Neurology Society. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  17. ^ "ICNApedia - Music and Autism Spectrum Disorder". www.icnapedia.org. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  18. ^ Hameed, Biju. "Neurology through Art and Time". ICNApedia. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  19. ^ "Phillip L. Pearl, MD". Child Neurology Society. September 1, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  20. ^ "Phillip L. Pearl". Hemifoundation. December 2008.
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