Cynthia F. Bearer, MD, PhD, is the Chief of the Division of Neonatology at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, the William & Lois Briggs Professor of Pediatrics at ǿմý and Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Research, the official journal of the American Society of Pediatrics, the European Society for Paediatric Research and the Society for Pediatric Research.
Dr. Bearer completed a BA with honors in mathematics from Smith College; a PhD in biochemistry from ǿմý; and an MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She became an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at ǿմý in 1994 where she was promoted to Professor of Pediatrics with tenure. In 2008 she moved to University of Maryland School of Medicine to become the Mary Gray Cobey Professor of Neonatology. In 2009 she became Chief, Division of Neonatology and in 2012 Associate Chair for Research. In 2019 she returned to ǿմý and UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital as the Division Chief of Neonatology, and the William & Lois Briggs Professor of Pediatrics.
In addition to her administrative responsibilities, she is actively involved in research, education and service. She has published extensively on fetal and pediatric environmental health. Her research has received funding from National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. EPA. She has established fatty acid ethyl esters as a biomarker for both in utero exposure to ethanol, and ethanol impact on neurocognitive outcomes. She holds a patent on this technology. Her laboratory is studying the impact of environmental and endogenous solvents on the development of the brain using both cellular and animal models. She is currently funded by the NIH/NICHD to study the impact of bilirubin and hypoxic ischemic injury on membrane microdomains. She is a frequently invited speaker nationally and internationally.
Dr. Bearer has published extensively in the scientific literature: 10 book chapters, and more than 100 peer reviewed articles. She is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Pediatric Research. She is a member of the American Pediatrics Society, the European Society for Paediatric Research, and the Society for Pediatric Research. She has served on the Committee to Evaluate Children’s Health of the National Academy of Science. She is past President of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Study Group. She has served on the Scientific Advisory Board for the U.S. EPA. She is a past Chair of the Board for the Children’s Environmental Health Network. She is a Smith College Medalist. She has been recognized as “Best Doctors in America” since 2017. She is the 2019 recipient of the Children’s Environmental Health Network’s Child Health Advocate Science Award.