The Children’s Neuroscience Institute (CNI), housed at the Department of Pediatrics in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is a unique constellation of brilliant and creative scientists and researchers dedicated to developing healthy brains and minds in children across all age groups.
Founded in 2019 with a generous grant from the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, the CNI is designed to encompass and facilitate interdisciplinary basic science and clinical research, with the goal of developing a profound mechanistic understanding of neuro-development, and the discovery of personalized treatment strategies for neurologically ill and injured children. 
The institute is an umbrella structure coordinating the CNI-related research activities within the University of Pittsburgh community and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh as one of three initiatives created by Terence Dermody, MD, the Vira I. Heinz Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief and Scientific Director at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh: (1) the Children’s Neuroscience Institute (CNI), (2) Institute of Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation in Children (i4Kids), and (3) Children’s Community Health Center (CCHC) that includes The Pittsburgh Study (TPS).
Under the leadership of Udai Pandey, PhD, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Genetics and Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the CNI’s vision is “to become a “conceptual crystallization center” and incubator for pioneering technologies and innovative studies that serves as the world’s premier destination for pediatric neuroscience research, education, and patient care.”
Since its formation, the CNI has produced countless peer-reviewed publications in highly respected scientific journals and a number of highly productive projects in molecular imaging, bioinformatics, and induced pluripotent stem cells, among other cutting-edge scientific efforts.
One of the leading directions of new research is lipidomics, with a focus on neurolipidomics. Current work in this area promises new discoveries that are important for many fields of neuroscience and clinical practice – pioneering advances in personalized diagnostics, treatment, and patient care. Specifically, this program plans to pioneer initiatives in redox lipidomics, drug discovery, stem-cell biology (iPSC), computational and structural biology, and novel MS- and EPR-imaging methods.
Many training, educational, and postdoctoral opportunities have been developed through the CNI, fostering the growth of the next generation of neuroscientists and neuroscience researchers at all levels. Learn more about the CNI at its new website location here.