Edwin Trevathan
Encyclopedia
Edwin Trevathan, M.D., M.P.H.http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/AboutUs/biographies/Trevathan.html is a U.S. physician, a child neurologist and pediatrician, who is currently the Dean of the Saint Louis University School of Public Health, where he is also a Professor of Community Health (Epidemiology). Prior to his move to his Dean position in September, 2010, he was Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) in Atlanta Georgia. Prior to his appointment as a national center director at the CDC in 2007, Dr. Trevathan was Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, and Director of the Division of Pediatric & Developmental Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicinehttp://neurology.wustl.edu, and was Neurologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital
.http://www.stlouischildrens.org
(chemistry & mathematics), Salutatorian
• M.D., 1982, Emory University School of Medicine
, elected to Alpha Omega Alpha
• M.P.H., 1982, Rollins School of Public Health
, Emory University
• Resident in Pediatrics, 1982–84, Yale-New Haven Hospital
, Yale University School of Medicine
• Resident in Neurology & Child Neurology, 1984–87, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Fellow in Neurophysiology & Epilepsy, 1986–87, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
• Epidemic Intelligence Service
(EIS) Officer, 1987–89, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)
. In his early years at CDC he also helped develop public health surveillance systems for epilepsy
and for developmental disabilities. After his training and service as an EIS officer, Dr. Trevathan entered private practice child neurology and was a founding partner in Child Neurology Associates in Atlanta, where he established and directed a comprehensive children's epilepsy center at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital - now part of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
.
In 1995 Dr. Trevathan returned to academic medicine as the director of the comprehensive epilepsy program and the Associate Director of the Neurology Service at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine
. In 1998 he was recruited to Washington University School of Medicine
and to St. Louis Children's Hospital
where he was a professor and directed the Pediatric Epilepsy Center, which grew to become one of the largest epilepsy centers dedicated to the care of children in the United States. In 2004 Dr. Trevathan was appointed Director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, and Neurologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital. During Trevathan's tenure the child neurology training program at Washington University and St. Louis Children's Hospital grew to be one of the largest in the U.S, and the number of child neurology faculty grew to 22 full-time child neurologists.
As Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd at the CDC, Dr. Trevathan supervised many of the CDC's activities related to infant and child health, genetics, neurodevelopmental disorders, disabilities, and blood disorders. NCBDDD's programs include public health surveillance, research, and prevention activities related congenital heart defects, nervous system malformations (e.g., spina bifida and hydrocephalus), hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, cerebral palsy, autism, health promotion among adults with disability, and early diagnosis of genetic, metabolic and developmental disorders.
Prior to assuming his leadership role at CDC, Trevathan was an active clinical investigator and served as the principal investigator for several clinical trials of treatments for epilepsy. He is a frequent lecturer at national and international meetings in child health, pediatrics, and child neurology.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC) in Atlanta Georgia. Prior to his appointment as a national center director at the CDC in 2007, Dr. Trevathan was Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, and Director of the Division of Pediatric & Developmental Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicinehttp://neurology.wustl.edu, and was Neurologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital
St. Louis Children's Hospital
St. Louis Children's Hospital is an academic pediatric hospital providing tertiary level care in St. Louis, Missouri. SLCH is the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine. It is the seventh oldest children's hospital in the United States and the first children's...
.http://www.stlouischildrens.org
Education and Training
• B.S., 1977, Lipscomb UniversityLipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on the east...
(chemistry & mathematics), Salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
• M.D., 1982, Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine
Emory University School of Medicine, a component of Emory’s Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, is ranked among the nation’s institutions for biomedical education and research...
, elected to Alpha Omega Alpha
Alpha Omega Alpha
The Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, commonly called Alpha Omega Alpha and abbreviated ΑΩΑ or AOA, is a national honor society for medical students, residents, scientists and physicians in the United States and Canada.-History:...
• M.P.H., 1982, Rollins School of Public Health
Rollins School of Public Health
The Rollins School of Public Health is the public health school of Emory University. Founded in 1990, RSPH has more than 850 students pursuing master's degrees and over 100 students pursuing doctorate degrees...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
• Resident in Pediatrics, 1982–84, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Yale-New Haven Hospital
Yale-New Haven Hospital , Connecticut's largest hospital with 966 beds, is located in New Haven, Connecticut.The hospital is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System, Inc...
, Yale University School of Medicine
• Resident in Neurology & Child Neurology, 1984–87, Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
• Fellow in Neurophysiology & Epilepsy, 1986–87, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
• Epidemic Intelligence Service
Epidemic Intelligence Service
The Epidemic Intelligence Service is a program of the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Established in 1951, due to biological warfare concerns arising from the Korean War, it has become a hands-on two-year postgraduate training program in epidemiology, with a focus on...
(EIS) Officer, 1987–89, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC)
Early career
As an Epidemic Intelligence Service IEIS) officer at CDC in the late 1980s, Dr. Trevathan chaired an international committee of experts in child neurology, genetics, and developmental pediatrics who defined the diagnostic criteria for a then new neurogenetic disorder, Rett syndromeRett syndrome
Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder of the grey matter of the brain that almost exclusively affects females. The clinical features include small hands and feet and a deceleration of the rate of head growth . Repetitive hand movements, such as wringing and/or repeatedly putting hands into...
. In his early years at CDC he also helped develop public health surveillance systems for epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and for developmental disabilities. After his training and service as an EIS officer, Dr. Trevathan entered private practice child neurology and was a founding partner in Child Neurology Associates in Atlanta, where he established and directed a comprehensive children's epilepsy center at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital - now part of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, was formed in 1998 when Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center merged. Both hospitals maintained their original locations, but the merger brought together Egleston’s teaching and...
.
In 1995 Dr. Trevathan returned to academic medicine as the director of the comprehensive epilepsy program and the Associate Director of the Neurology Service at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is a medical school found in the University of Kentucky's Chandler Medical Center in Lexington, KY.-History:...
. In 1998 he was recruited to Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine , located in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the graduate schools of Washington University in St. Louis. One of the top medical schools in the United States, it is currently ranked 4th for research according to U.S. News and World Report and has been listed...
and to St. Louis Children's Hospital
St. Louis Children's Hospital
St. Louis Children's Hospital is an academic pediatric hospital providing tertiary level care in St. Louis, Missouri. SLCH is the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine. It is the seventh oldest children's hospital in the United States and the first children's...
where he was a professor and directed the Pediatric Epilepsy Center, which grew to become one of the largest epilepsy centers dedicated to the care of children in the United States. In 2004 Dr. Trevathan was appointed Director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, and Neurologist-in-Chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital. During Trevathan's tenure the child neurology training program at Washington University and St. Louis Children's Hospital grew to be one of the largest in the U.S, and the number of child neurology faculty grew to 22 full-time child neurologists.
As Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd at the CDC, Dr. Trevathan supervised many of the CDC's activities related to infant and child health, genetics, neurodevelopmental disorders, disabilities, and blood disorders. NCBDDD's programs include public health surveillance, research, and prevention activities related congenital heart defects, nervous system malformations (e.g., spina bifida and hydrocephalus), hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, cerebral palsy, autism, health promotion among adults with disability, and early diagnosis of genetic, metabolic and developmental disorders.
Professional Activities
Trevathan has served in a variety of leadership roles in the fields of pediatrics, child neurology and public health. He represented CDC on several national committees such as the National Children's Study Federal Advisory Committee member http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee http://www.iacc.hhs.gov, and the Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee http://www.ninds.nih.gov/find_people/groups/mdcc. He has served as a Counselor of the Professors of Child Neurology, and serves on the editorial boards of major journals such as Neurologyhttp://www.neurology.org, Disability and Health Journalhttp://www.disabilityandhealthjnl.com, and the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=DOH. In 2009, Dr. Trevathan served as the CDC strategic lead for the pediatric response to the novel H1N1 influenza pandemic.Prior to assuming his leadership role at CDC, Trevathan was an active clinical investigator and served as the principal investigator for several clinical trials of treatments for epilepsy. He is a frequent lecturer at national and international meetings in child health, pediatrics, and child neurology.