Dr. Shafali Jeste is an outstanding physician-scientist who has dedicated her career to advancing the care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders through pioneering research and leadership at multiple levels. She was born in the first year after her parents, Drs. Dilip and Sonali Jeste, immigrated to the US. Her interest in medicine began early, and she frequently joined her parents, both accomplished physicians, on academic trips. Dr. Jeste’s greatest talents – positivity, warmth, and curiosity – were evident even as a young child.
Dr. Jeste began her postsecondary education at Yale University, where she obtained a degree in philosophy. She then attended Harvard Medical School and completed her pediatrics and child neurology training at Boston Children’s Hospital. She remained at Boston Children’s to complete a fellowship in Behavioral Child Neurology. She was a stellar resident who quickly identified mentors and research projects to launch her research career in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders more broadly.
In Boston, during her first year of residency, she started to work with Dr. Charles Nelson, a developmental cognitive neuroscientist who had just started a research program on autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Jeste continued to work with Dr. Nelson throughout residency and fellowship and co-authored a chapter on neurodevelopment for the late Sir Michael Rutter’s landmark edited volume on psychopathology. It was during her time in the Nelson lab that Drs. Jeste and Nelson began to collaborate on what would become Dr. Jeste’s groundbreaking work on identifying early markers or predictors of autism in children with Tuberous Sclerosis. Dr. Jeste subsequently expanded that work to identify early EEG biomarkers and other early predictors of autism or atypical development in infants. Her work in improving early prediction and diagnostic precision in neurodevelopmental disorders has led her to work toward clinical trial readiness in these disorders.
Dr. Jeste transitioned to a faculty position at UCLA, where she was the Director of the Biomarkers Core of the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment and UCLA CARING Clinic. In 2019, Dr. Jeste received the White House Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering for her thought leadership in early predictors and treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders. As evidence of her scientific rigor and productivity, her research has been consistently funded through NIH and many private foundations associated with autism and specific neurodevelopmental disorders. She currently has a dozen research awards.
In 2021, Dr. Jeste began her role as the Las Madrinas Chair and Chief of Neurology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Jeste has held leadership roles in major national and international organizations, including current service on the Board of Directors of the American Brain Foundation, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and the International Society for Autism Research. Her fierce commitment to the needs of the patients and families that she serves drives her work. Dr. Jeste has partnered with and served within multiple advocacy organizations, including the Dup15q Alliance and the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance.
Dr. Jeste co-founded the non-profit ACEing Autism, which uses tennis as a mechanism to promote personal growth and social connection in children with autism. This nationwide program was awarded the USTA’s Community Service Award in 2014 and currently serves children in 27 states. When she is not in the lab or clinic, one might find Dr. Jeste cheering on her sons, Nischal and Kiran (both nationally ranked tennis players), training for a marathon, or hosting a ping pong tournament for her colleagues. Her many undergraduate, medical student, post-graduate, and faculty mentees have greatly expanded Dr. Jeste’s impact. Dr. Jeste prioritizes mentorship and the career development of aspiring clinician-scientists and leaders in child neurology and neurodevelopmental disabilities. As the Chief of Pediatric Neurology at CHLA, she is now using her considerable skills and experience to develop the institution and its faculty.
Following the career path of Dr. Denckla, Dr. Jeste is a true “triple threat,” with exceptional research, teaching, and clinical skills. Her longtime colleague and friend, Dr. Sarah Spence, began sharing patients as they crossed from Boston Children’s Hospital and UCLA. Twenty years later, they still share stories of their patients, who express ongoing gratitude for Dr. Jeste’s compassionate clinical care.
While Dr. Jeste’s academic accomplishments speak for themselves, the humanity with which she does her work distinguishes her career. She is a relentless extrovert whose curiosity, warmth, and enthusiasm are infectious. Dr. Jeste carries on the exceptional legacy of Dr. Martha Bridge Denckla through her commitment to rigorous science, expert clinical care, and dedicated mentorship.