Mark Scher

Dr Mark Scher,
Emeritus Professor Pediatrics and Neurology
Case Western Reserve University
School of Medicine
Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
MacDonald Hospital for Women
Fetal/Neonatal Neurology Program
Division of Pediatric Neurology

Dr. Scher's training in fetal/neonatal neurology (FNN) began as an undergraduate at the University of Rochester (1968-72), medical school at SUNY/Downstate (1972-76), pediatric residency training at Cornell/New York Hospital (1976-78), neurology/pediatric neurology and clinical neurophysiology fellowship training at the University of Minnesota (1978-81), and a neonatal neurology research fellowship at Stanford University (1981-83). His academic career began at the University of Pittsburgh (1983-97) as a member of the Neonatology division at Magee-Women's Hospital where FNN consultations were offered as well as participating in the Pediatric Neurology Division at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. As Division Chief of Pediatric Neurology at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital (1997-2017), he expanded FNN activities while establishing pediatric neurology, neonatal-pediatric neurocritical care, epilepsy, and sleep programs until transitioning to Emeritus Professor at Case Western Reserve University (CASE) in 2020. He now participates in US-based and international collaborative research, educational and advocacy efforts including a brain health initiative at CASE. His approach has been to develop diagnostic algorithms that distinguish health or disease pathways based on women’s reproductive and pregnancy histories. Life-course influences on the dynamic neural exposome are examined that begin before conception. His current educational contributions apply developmental neuroplasticity principles to transdisciplinary brain health care among stakeholders. Building on an initial NIH-training grant in developmental chronobiology, he has pursued studies using longitudinal visual/digital EEG/Sleep studies as a biomarker of brain maturation and organization, studying healthy preterm and full-term neonatal comparisons, treatment efficacy for EEG-confirmed neonatal seizures, effects of prenatal substance exposure and maternal depression on preterm survivors, and effects of skin-to-skin contact on brain maturation. His interdisciplinary collaborations have included 13 NIH-supported studies, six as principal or co-principal investigator, authorship of 211 peer-reviewed publications and 46 book chapters, and numerous Webinar presentations.