Jay Norman Giedd MD

Jay N. Giedd, M.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, and Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the Department of Family and Reproductive Medicine. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Giedd has combined brain imaging, genetics, and behavioral analysis to explore the path and influences of brain development in health and illness.

As one of the most highly cited neuroscientists of his generation, his over 200 scientific publications have had a transformative impact on medicine, psychology, education, judicial, and public policy. Dr. Giedd’s recent work has focused on how new insights from pediatric neuroscience can be used to optimize the environment for healthy brain development, particularly regarding education and the use of digital technologies that have transformed the way youth learn, play, and interact with each other. In addition to his numerous academic awards, his work has been prominently featured in the general media with cover stories in Time, National Geographic, and national newspapers as well as over 30 television documentaries. For his outreach to students of all ages and frequent talks to parents, teachers, mental health workers, legislators, and the general public, Dr. Giedd was honored as co-recipient of the 2012 Society for Neuroscience’s Science Educator Award.