Deepa Soundara Rajan, MD, FAAP

  • Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
  • Co-Director of Neurogenetics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Administrative Assistant: Diane Giel

Deepa Rajan is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neurology and Child Development Unit at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After completing her medical school in Bangalore Medical College, India, she completed her pediatric residency at Children's Hospital of Michigan. She then completed her fellowship in Child Neurology at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and stayed on as faculty.

As a clinical specialist in pediatric neurology, Rajan provides care for inpatients and outpatients with a wide variety of neurological issues. Her areas of interest include acute care neurology and neuro-genetics. As co-director of the Neurogenetics Clinic at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Rajan sees patients who have severe neurologic and other symptoms that have so far eluded diagnosis, as well as patients who have been diagnosed with rare neurologic conditions caused by genetic abnormalities. She also has an active role in medical student and neurology resident teaching in the Department of Pediatrics.

Rajan is certified through the ABP in Pediatrics, through the ABPN in Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology and Epilepsy. Her recognitions include the Shelden Brenner Research Award in 2010, Sanford N. Cohen Award for Outstanding Graduating Resident (2010) and the Bonita F. Stanton Professionalism in Pediatrics Award (2010).

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010-Present
  • American Academy of Neurology, 2010-Present
  • Child Neurology Society, 2010-Present
  • American Epilepsy Society, 2016-Present
  • International Child Neurology Association, 2017-Present

Education & Training

  • MBBS, Bangalore Medical College, Rajov Gandhi Unversity of Health Sciences, 2005
  • Rotatory Internship, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, 2004-2005
  • Residency in Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Michigan-Wayne State University, 2007-2010
  • Residency in Child Neurology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2010-2013

Selected Publications

Sivaswamy L, Kumar A, Rajan DS, Behen M, Muzik O, Chugani D, Chugani H. A diffusion tensor imaging study of the cerebellar pathways in children with autism spectrum disorder. J Child Neurol. 2010 Oct;25(10):1223-31.

Lemke JR, Geider K, Helbig KL, Heyne HO, Schütz H, Hentschel J, Courage C, Depienne C, Nava C, Heron D, Møller RS, Hjalgrim H, Lal D, Neubauer BA, Nürnberg P, Thiele H, Kurlemann G, Arnold GL, Bhambhani V, Bartholdi D, Pedurupillay CR, Misceo D, Frengen E, Strømme P, Dlugos DJ, Doherty ES, Bijlsma EK, Ruivenkamp CA, Hoffer MJ, Goldstein A, Rajan DS, Narayanan V, Ramsey K, Belnap N, Schrauwen I, Richholt R, Koeleman BP, Sá J, Mendonça C, de Kovel CG, Weckhuysen S, Hardies K, De Jonghe P, De Meirleir L, Milh M, Badens C, Lebrun M, Busa T, Francannet C, Piton A, Riesch E, Biskup S, Vogt H, Dorn T, Helbig I, Michaud JL, Laube B, Syrbe S. Delineating the GRIN1 phenotypic spectrum: A distinct genetic NMDA receptor encephalopathy. Neurology. 2016 Jun 7;86(23):2171-8. 

Sands TT, Miceli F, Lesca G, Beck AE, Sadleir LG, Arrington DK, Schönewolf-Greulich B, Moutton S, Lauritano A, Nappi P, Soldovieri MV, Scheffer IE, Mefford HC, Stong N, Heinzen EL, Goldstein DB, Perez AG, Kossoff EH, Stocco A, Sullivan JA, Shashi V, Gerard B, Francannet C, Bisgaard AM, Tümer Z, Willems M, Rivier F, Vitobello A, Thakkar K, Rajan DS, Barkovich AJ, Weckhuysen S, Cooper EC, Taglialatela M, Cilio MR. Autism and developmental Disability caused by KCNQ3 gain-of-function variants. Ann Neurol. 2019 Aug;86(2):181-192.

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »