Joseph Scafidi, DO, MS
‘Joseph Scafidi, DO, MS, is a research scientist and clinician for the Infant Neurodevelopment Clinic and the Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy at Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is also an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Scafidi’s clinical expertise includes pre-term, neonatal brain injury, hypoxic ischemia and neurodevelopmental disorders.
In September 2021, he was named the director of the Michael V. Johnston Center for Developmental Neuroscience at Kennedy Krieger Institute.’ – KKI
Education and Training
“Dr. Scafidi received a bachelor’s of science degree in 1996 and a medical degree from NYU College of Arts & Science in 1999. After a pediatric residency at Rutgers University Medical School and a residency in child neurology at Children’s National Hospital, he completed a neonatology fellowship also at Children’s National. Dr. Scafidi was a postdoctoral research fellow in Developmental Neurobiology at Children’s National Research Institute and was named an associate professor in the Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
In September 2021, he was named the director of the Michael V. Johnston Center for Developmental Neuroscience at Kennedy Krieger Institute.”
(Dr. Scafidi via KKI)
Links
Google Scholar, ResearchGate, ORCiD | LinkedIn | Email:
Susanna Scafidi, MD
I am a clinician who cares for children with critical illnesses including acute neurologic injuries in pediatric critical care. As a scientist, I study how critical illness affects brain energy and metabolism. My research aims to delineate metabolic perturbations following acute injury (TBI, seizures, ischemia) and to advance our understanding of pathological changes and develop therapeutic targets. The work integrates biological and biochemical knowledge and techniques.
Links
[add pubmed link] | Email: sscafid2@jhmi.edu
Dawn B. Lammert, MD, PhD
Dawn is a board-certified child neurologist, board eligible epileptologist, and current epilepsy genetics fellow. She played Division I volleyball and track and field while completing her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Binghamton University. She then went on to complete her MD, PhD at SUNY Upstate Medical University studying the role of missense mutations in RELN associated with autism spectrum with the support of the NINDS F30 Predoctoral Fellowship. She went on to complete her Pediatrics and Child Neurology residencies at Johns Hopkins, during which time she joined the Scafidi lab, initially studying the consequences of mild hypoxic ischemic injury on the hippocampal proteome in a piglet model. She is now continuing in the lab studying the effects of preterm brain injury on neurotransmitter metabolism with the support of the NINDS R25/UE5 Research Education Grant. Dawn’s interests lie at the intersection of neonatal brain development, genetics, and metabolism and how understanding the chemical and metabolic underpinnings of disease can lead to improved treatment strategies for patients with epilepsy. Outside of the lab, she can be found spending time with her family, dogs, chickens, and axolotl; kayaking; and playing piano.
Links
Google Scholar, ResearchGate, ORCiD | LinkedIn | Email: dlammer2@jhmi.edu
Bruno H. Gallo-Dallo, MD
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Links
Alexa Wade, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow | 2025-Present
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Education and Training (UNSURE)
Links
Jingyao (Bella) Chen, MS
Lab Technician | 2023-Present
Bella joined the Scafidi Lab in 2024 as a research assistant and transitioned to lab technician following completion of her Master’s degree. She is particularly drawn to the intricate metabolic processes within the body and brain, as well as the translational potential of the lab’s research. Outside the lab, Bella enjoys dancing, photographing life’s sweet everyday moments, exploring nature and new places, and spending time with her two cats, Ham and Leo.
Links
Google Scholar | LinkedIn | Email: jchen439@jh.edu
Lab Alumni
Razia Sultana, DVM, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-2022 | LinkedIn, Google Scholar
Javier Allende-Labastida, MD, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019-2020 |
Jennifer Jernberg, MD, PhD
Tiffany Chu, BS
Maria Shishikura, BS
Julianna Condoleo
Lei X, PhD
Noelle Puleo
Jaime Gonzalez, MD | Postdoctoral Fellow
Holly Hammond, MS | Lab Manager, [YEARS] |
Nour Eloisy | Lab Assistant, 20XX-20XX |
…and more!
Scafidi Lab 