Barbara E. Hallinan, MD, PhD

Biography

As a pediatric neurologist, I care for infants with epilepsy and neurometabolic disorders. I specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of infantile spasms, genetic causes of epilepsy and using a ketogenic diet for the treatment of epilepsy.

Together with Dr. Marissa M. Vawter-Lee, I lead the Infant Seizure Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. We focus on the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and infantile spasms in children younger than two.

I believe patient care is a partnership with parents and all providers on a child’s care team. This collaborative approach is the model at Cincinnati Children’s. I enjoy the collaboration with other providers in a multidisciplinary clinic setting.

My earlier career in chemistry influenced how I look at patient data. It's part of the reason I treat children with metabolic and genetic diseases in our Neurometabolic Clinic.

The doctors I met as a child inspired me to go into medicine. I wanted to be a doctor from a young age. My career took some unexpected turns. I worked as a research chemist for several years before going to medical school. As a medical student, my neurology rotation at Cincinnati Children’s (Dr. Tracy A. Glauser was my attending), moved me to become a pediatric neurologist. The variety of diagnoses and the diagnostic detective work appealed to me — there is never a dull moment. I find the continuity we have with our patients and their families over the years very satisfying.

The positive feedback we get from our families is gold. This response reflects the efforts of our entire team, not just the doctor.

In my free time, I enjoy cooking for my team, gardening (out of necessity, because who wants to eat a store-bought tomato?) and hitting golf balls on the driving range.