ASCI / Young Physician-Scientist Awards, 2023
The Young Physician-Scientist Awards (YPSA) recognize physician-scientists who are early in their first faculty appointment and have made notable achievements in their research.
About the awardee
Darius Ebrahimi-Fakhari, MD, PhD is a board-certified Child Neurologist with expertise in neurogenetic, neurodegenerative, and movement disorders. Trained as a physician-scientist, he provides: A) a background in neuroscience and cell biology; B) expertise in autophagy, lysosomal biology, and mechanisms of neurodegeneration; and C) clinical and translational expertise in pediatric neurology. The objective of Dr. Ebrahimi-Fakhari's research is to create clinical trial readiness for rare neurological disorders and to develop molecular mechanism-based treatments.
Dr. Ebrahimi-Fakhari received his MD/PhD degrees from the Ruprecht-Karl-University Heidelberg, Germany. After residency training in Pediatrics and Child Neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Neurology Program, he completed a clinical fellowship in Movement Disorders. As a physician invested in neurogenetic and movement disorders, he is currently leading several clinical research projects related to genetic movement disorders in children. This includes the first natural history study for childhood-onset hereditary spastic paraplegia (NCT04712812, NCT05354622). As a basic scientist, Dr. Ebrahimi-Fakhari leads a team of trainees in several projects aimed at developing induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons and zebrafish as a platform for high-throughput small molecule and genetic screens to identify novel therapeutic targets. His team's approach to rare diseases has galvanized a large network of collaborators with this shared goal. Collectively their scientific work has resulted in >60 peer-reviewed publications and has received support from the NIH/NINDS, several foundations and industry partners.
After joining the faculty at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Ebrahimi-Fakhari now serves as the Director of the Movement Disorders Program. He takes care of children with movement disorders, the majority with severe, progressive conditions. He considers himself an advocate for families with rare diseases and serves this community clinically and scientifically.