Prof Anna Byars

Anna W. Byars, Ph.D. is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology and the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. She obtained her doctoral degree in Medical Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and did her clinical fellowship training in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Her research centers on three primary areas of interest: the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex; delineating the neuropsychological and behavioral course and outcome of children with epilepsy, especially those with new seizures and those undergoing surgical treatment; and the investigation of cognition and language in children with epilepsy and cerebrovascular disease as well as healthy children. She has collaborated on multicenter clinical trials and neuroimaging projects, with an emphasis on behavioral data collection and the design of test batteries for the assessment of neuropsychological effects. She has more than 25 years of experience in the neuropsychological evaluation of infants, children, and adolescents in both clinical and research contexts.

Her clinical work with patients with tuberous sclerosis complex offered the opportunity to become involved in exciting research efforts with colleagues at Cincinnati Children’s and across the country. Her early work focused on structural MRI findings and their correlation with neurobehavioral findings in children with TSC. She had the good fortune to be involved in the first mTOR inhibitor trial for treatment of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma in TSC from a safety monitoring standpoint. That research led to a recently completed study of the use of an mTOR inhibitor to improve neurobehavioral and cognitive function in TSC. Our center has also taken the lead from the neurodevelopmental/behavioral perspective in the multicenter NIH-funded Autism Center of Excellence focused on TSC with two large studies focused on early identification of biomarkers for the development of epilepsy and autism in TSC. She has participated in a number of consensus conferences focused on the clinical care and research priorities in TSC, the latest sponsored by the NIH in March 2015. She has enjoyed serving on the Professional Advisory Board of the TS Alliance.