Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS
- Pediatric Movement Disorders and Tourette Syndrome Specialist, Division of Neurology
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- donald.gilbert@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
My parents inspired me to find a vocation that involved helping others. My fascination with the function of the human brain emerged in college, where I majored in philosophy. As a pediatric neurologist, I treat children and adolescents with movement disorders, including Tourette syndrome.
In my practice, I try to understand how neurological conditions and symptoms affect the child's life and function. With my work, I continually add to the field of neuroscience and find ways to apply new discoveries to improve children's quality of life.
Our team is pursuing multiple lines of research. We use transcranial magnetic stimulation to develop biomarkers of behavioral disorders and understand how the brain controls movement in healthy children and children affected by Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, and Neurofibromatosis. We hope to modulate the brain to improve symptoms. We participate in larger networks of researchers to identify new genes and do clinical trials of new medications.
In my free time, I’m an avid reader, and I also like to exercise and travel.
BA: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1987.
MD: University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, 1993.
MS: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2003.
Pediatrics, Child Neurology Residency: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 1998.
Certification: Board Certified in Neurology with Special Competence in Child Neurology, 2010; Board eligible in Pediatrics.
Appointment: Professor of Pediatric Neurology.
Interests
Movement disorders; Tourette syndrome; ataxia; dystonia; functional movement disorders; chorea; neurogenetics; ADHD
Services and Specialties
Interests
Clinical trials in Tourette syndrome and ataxia; genetics of Tourette syndrome; transcranial magnetic stimulation for neuromodulation and development of biomarkers of neurobehavioral symptoms for Tourette syndrome; ADHD; neurofibromatosis
Research Areas
Additional Languages
French, SpanishLocations (4)
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Call for action: misinformation about tourette syndrome from major media network. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2026.
Recessive AARS1 variants perturb human and mouse development. HGG Advances. 2026; 7(2):100565.
117 Drug-Induced Movement Disorders in Children. In: Swaiman's Pediatric Neurology. Elsevier; 2026:1036-1042.e2.
Complementary and Integrative Medicine for the Treatment of Tourette's Syndrome. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice. 2025.
Essential Components of Child Neurology Training: Program Director Consensus Recommendations. Annals of the Child Neurology Society. 2025; 3(4):282-291.
Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Sydenham Chorea: Consensus Guidelines. Pediatrics. 2025; 156(6).
Determining Clinically Meaningful Improvement in Children and Adolescents with Tourette Syndrome Receiving Pharmacotherapy. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2025; 35(8):447-453.
"Mini Molar Tooth" Sign in POLR3B-Associated Cerebellar Ataxia with Hypomyelinating Leukodystrophy. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice. 2025; 12(10):1659-1661.
Divergent aperiodic slope and alpha dynamics expose cortical excitability gradients in fragile X syndrome. Molecular Autism. 2025; 16(1):49.
6.74 Efficacy of Ecopipam on Motor and Phonic Tics in Tourette’s Disorder: Data From a Phase 3 Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2025; 64(10):s328.
From the Blog
The Joy of Witnessing Science Transform a Life
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS, Sudhakar Vadivelu, DO11/15/2024
Podcast | Understanding Tics and Tic Disorders
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS4/12/2024
Ecopipam Reduces Tics in Tourette Syndrome in Early Tests
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS3/30/2022
Gilbert Leads Clinical Trial Showing Benefits From New Drug for Tourette Syndrome
Donald L. Gilbert, MD, MS11/11/2021
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