Kennedy Krieger Institute - Healthcare, Family Services
Dr Bradley Schlaggar, MD, PhD, is the president and chief executive officer of Kennedy Krieger Institute, and holds the Zanvyl Krieger Faculty Endowed Chair at Kennedy Krieger. He is also a professor of neurology and pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. At Kennedy Krieger, Dr Schlaggar leads a team of more than 2,800 full- and part-time staff and faculty members who together advance the organisation’s mission of improving the lives of children, adolescents and adults with disorders, diseases or injuries that impact the nervous system. The Institute serves more than 27,000 patients and students each year from throughout the U.S and around the world.
Before joining Kennedy Krieger in 2018, Dr Schlaggar served on the faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis for two decades, serving in multiple leadership roles as director of the pediatric neurology residency program, head of the division of pediatric and developmental neurology, co-director of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center and neurologist-in-chief at St Louis Children’s Hospital.
A pediatric neurologist, Dr Schlaggar’s clinical expertise is in developmental disorders of cognition, language and movement. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honours from Brown University and Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.
Which of your career accomplishments to date are you most proud of having achieved?
My career has encompassed several phases. Each of those phases holds accomplishments of which I am proud, including recognition for clinical excellence, training physicians and scientists, making discoveries that influence how we understand caring for children with atypical brain development, and a variety of leadership milestones. A common theme across all of these experiences is that each accomplishment was shared with a team of colleagues.
Most recently, I am proud to have helped lead Kennedy Krieger Institute through the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency. As the leader of a healthcare and special education non-profit organisation, keeping our patients, students, their families and our staff safe while still delivering care and education was deeply challenging. It took the full and concerted effort of our entire staff to not just survive, but to thrive so that we could deliver on our critically important mission.
Can you tell us anything about what you are working on at the moment?
We just launched our new strategic plan, which sets the vision for the next generation of growth and impact at Kennedy Krieger. This multifaceted plan will positively impact every segment of our organisation and increase our ability to serve more patients, students and families.
What does this award mean to you?
I am honoured to be recognised by CEO Today and to be included in the impressive, international group of leaders being honoured. I accept this recognition on behalf of our entire Kennedy Krieger organisation. To me, this award acknowledges the 2,800 committed individuals with whom I have the privilege of working and who impact people’s lives positively every day.