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Christina A. Gurnett, MD, PhD
Chief of the Division of Neurology
Dr. Gurnett works to understand the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental and musculoskeletal disorders. She also focuses on building tools and partnerships to advance rare disease research.
Bio
Dr. Gurnett’s overall research goal is to improve human health by implementing precision medicine. Her laboratory has produced major discoveries regarding the genetic etiology of scoliosis, clubfoot, arthrogryposis, and neurodevelopmental disabilities. These include the identification of genetic disruptions of the PITX1-TBX4-HOXC developmental pathway involved in limb development in clubfoot.
Dr. Gurnett has also identified multiple risk factors for severe scoliosis, including common missense variant in the manganese transporter SLC39A8, rare missense variants in fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 1 (FNDC1) and other matrisome genes (COL11A1 and COL11A2), and distal chromosome 16p11.2 duplications including SH2B1. Her laboratory now focuses on understanding the functional effects of variants of uncertain significance as well as uncovering additional causes of these complex genetic conditions.
Dr. Gurnett has had many roles in the national network of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-funded Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC). She leads the IDDRC National Brain Gene Registry in which investigators at 12 centers study children with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities to understand the impact of rare genetic variants.
The Brain Gene Registry integrates a standardized remotely delivered neurobehavioral assessment tool with electronic health record data. Her team applies artificial intelligence strategies to extract content from the electronic health record to reduce research burden on families and clinicians.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Gurnett was part of a Washington University team that developed and deployed a saliva assay to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in schools for children with disabilities.
Dr. Gurnett is involved in many innovative educational efforts to engage high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in neuroscience research. An enthusiastic mentor, Dr. Gurnett believes that science is on the cusp of translational breakthroughs for many rare diseases, and thoroughly enjoys training the next generation of clinicians, scientists, and translational researchers.
Education and Training
Fellow, St. Louis Children’s Hospital (Pediatric Epilepsy), 2004
Resident, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University Medical School (Pediatric Neurology), 2002
Resident, University of Iowa (Pediatrics), 2000
PhD, University of Iowa (Physiology and Biophysics), 1998
MD, University of Iowa, 1998
BS, University of Notre Dame (Biology), 1991
Titles and Academic Titles
Chief of the Division of Neurology
Professional Memberships
Child Neurology Society
American Epilepsy Society
MED13L Foundation Board
Professional Awards
Carl and Gerti Cory Faculty Achievement Award, 2024
Jean Holowach Thurston Award, 2021
Top Doctor, Castle Connolly, 2020-2025
Johnson Memorial Lecture Award, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 2020
A. Ernest and Jane G Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology, 2018
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award, 2018
Distinguished Researcher Award, Marfan Foundation, 2017
Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, 2017
Nicholas Andry Award, Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, 2017
Academic Medical Leadership Program for Physicians and Scientists, 2017