Pamela P. McDonnell, MD, FAES
Areas of expertise: Epilepsy, Drug-resistant epilepsy, Neurogenetics, Health equity
Locations: Main Building, Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, Middleman Family Pavilion, Specialty Care, Bryn Mawr
About Pamela P. McDonnell, MD, FAES
Pamela P. McDonnell, MD, FAES, is a pediatric neurologist in the Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She specializes in helping children with epilepsy.
Dr. McDonnell had a personal reason for choosing her specialty.
“My sister had epilepsy when she was a child, which made me want to help children and families with neurologic conditions,” she says. “I later developed an interest in science and particularly in how the brain works.”
She notes that although epilepsy affects just 1% of the population, it’s morbidity is quite high. Fortunately, many tools are available to help control the disorder.
A native of Argentina, Dr. McDonnell enjoys working with Spanish speakers who may otherwise have trouble accessing appropriate care due to language barriers. She is involved in the implementation of a neurology clinic where care will be provided in Spanish.
Dr. McDonnell is also Medical Co-Director of the Department of Global Medicine at CHOP.
Along with her clinical work, she is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. McDonnell is enthusiastic about new developments in genetics that may one day allow doctors to predict the course of epilepsy and target treatments accordingly.
When caring for children, Dr. McDonnell is reminded of her sister and the comfort of knowing medical professionals were helping to manage her epilepsy.
“I am always inspired by the doctors that helped our family,” she says. “And as your doctor, I care about your child and your family as if they were my own. I hope that is an experience that can be taken from every visit at CHOP.”
Titles
Attending Physician
Neurology Medical Director, CHOP Global Medicine
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Neurology in Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Secondary)
Certifications
Child Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Epilepsy – American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Basic Life Support (BLS)
Awards and Honors
2024, SLC6A1 Connect Hero of the Year
2024, Women Leading in Neurology - leadership program, awarded by the American Academy of Neurology
2023, Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society (FAES)
2022, 2025, Main Line Today Top Docs, Pediatric Neurologist
2021, Main Line Today Top Docs, #1 Pediatric Neurologist
2015, American Epilepsy Society - Fellows Program/AES
2015, American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting Resident Scholarship Program/ AAN
Leadership and Memberships
Memberships in Professional Organizations
2014-present, Child Neurology Society
2014-present, American Epilepsy Society
2012-present, American Academy of Neurology
Editorial and Academic Positions
Editorial Positions
2025-present, Peer-reviewer, Epilepsy & Behavior Reports
2025-present, Peer-reviewer, Journal of Child Neurology
2025-present, Peer-reviewer, Pediatric Neurology
Academic and Institutional Committees
2023-present, CHANCE (CHOP HOPE Across Nations for Children) committee, founding member
2022-present, Inclusion, Development, Equity, and Access (IDEA) representative, Division of Neurology
2021-present, EHLS (electroning health learning systems) Group
2019-present, MIND (Mentorship in Inclusion and Diversity), physician mentor
2016-prenset, Community Neurology committee
Education & training
Undergraduate Degree
BS in Neurobiological Studies - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Graduate Degree
MS in Physiology and Biophysics - Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Medical Degree
MD - Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Internship
Pediatrics - Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA
Residency
Child Neurology - Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
Pediatrics - Saint Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship
Clinical Neurophysiology - Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Publications
Publications
2026
Molisani SE, Kaufman MC, Tencer J, Fitzgerald M, Witzman S, Gonzalez AK, Ramos M, DiGiovine M, Kessler SK, McDonnell PP, McKee J, Melamed S, Prelack M, Tefft S, Abend NS.: Medication Barriers in Pediatric Patients With Epilepsy. Pediatric Neurology January 2026.
Colin A. Ellis, Juliette Copeland, Isabella Velez, Karen L. Oliver, Hannah Shalaby, Aaron Baldwin, Caren Armstrong, Amanda Back, Brianna Berlin, Stacey Cohen, Vishnu Anand Cuddapah, Danielle deCampo,Holly Dubbs, Natalie Ginn,Alicia G. Harrison, Naomi Lewin, Laina Lusk, Eric D. Marsh, Shavonne L. Massey,Pamela P. McDonnell, Jillian L. McKee,Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez, Anna J. Prentice, Katie Rose Sullivan, Katherine S. Taub, Sarah M. Ruggiero, Mark P. Fitzgerald, Ethan Goldberg, Ingo Helbig: Genetic testing for familial epilepsies: diagnostic yield and genetic findings. Epilepsia March 2026.
2025
Scala M, Bradley CA, Howe JL, Trost B, Salazar NB, Shum C, Reuter MS, MacDonald JR, Ko SY, Frankland PW, Granger L, Anadiotis G, Pullano V, Brusco A, Keller R, Parisotto S, Pedro HF, Lusk L, McDonnell PP, Helbig I, Mullegama SV; Undiagnosed Diseases Network; Douine ED, Russell BE, Nelson SF, Zara F, Scherer SW.: Genetic variants in DDX53 contribute to autism spectrum disorder associated with the Xp22.11 locus. Am J Hum Genet January 2025.
McDonnell, PP; Ortiz, Y; Abend, NS; Kaufman, MC; Xian, J; Gonzalez, AK; Molisani, S; Helbig, I.: A simple intervention improves access to telemedicine for Spanish-speaking families in an outpatient pediatric epilepsy clinic. Journal of Child Neurology May 2025.
2024
Maimuna S. Paul, Sydney L. Michener, Hongling Pan, Hiuling Chan, Jessica M. Pfliger, Jill A. Rosenfeld, Vanesa C. Lerma, Alyssa Tran, Megan A. Longley, Richard A. Lewis, Monika Weisz-Hubshman, Mir Reza Bekheirnia, Nasim Bekheirnia, Lauren Massingham, Michael Zeck, Matias Wagner, Hartmut Engels, Kirsten Cremer, Elisabeth Mangold, Sophia Peters, Jessica Trautmann, Jessica L. Mester, Maria J. Guillen Sacoto,Richard Person, Pamela P. McDonnell, Stacey R. Cohen, Laina Lusk, Ana S.A. Cohen,Jean-Baptiste Le Pichon, Tomi Pastinen, Dihong Zhou, Kendra Engleman, Caroline Racine, Laurence Faivre, Sebastien Moutton, Anne-Sophie Denomme-Pichon, Hyun Yong Koh, Annapurna Poduri, Jeffrey Bolton, Cordula Knopp, Dong Sun Julia Suh, Andrea Maier, Mehran Beiraghi Toosi, Ehsan Ghayoor Karimiani, Reza Maroofian, Gerald Bradley Schaefer, Vijayalakshmi Ramakumaran, Pradeep Vasudevan, Chitra Prasad, Matthew Osmond, Sarah Schuhmann, Georgia Vasileiou, Sophie Russ-Hall, Ingrid E. Scheffer, Gemma L. Carvill, Heather Mefford, Undiagnosed Diseases Network, Carlos A. Bacino, Brendan H. Lee, and Hsiao-Tuan Chao : A syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by rare variants in PPFIA3. The American Journal of Human Genetics 111(1): 96-118, January 2024.
Michael E. Baumgartner, PhD, Elias Atallah, MD, Kathleen Galligan, PA-C, Pamela McDonnell, MD, and Benjamin C. Kennedy, MD: Endoscopic trans-ventricular "inside-out" corpus callosotomy: illustrative case. Journal of Neurosurgery: Case Lessons 8(9): 24160, August 2024.
2023
Benedetta Kassabian, Christina Dühring Fenger, Marjolaine WILLEMS, Angel Aledo-Serrano, Tarja Linnankivi, Pamela Pojomovsky Mcdonnell, Laina Lusk, Birgit Susanne Jepsen, Michael Bayat, Anja Kattentidt, Anna Abulí Vidal, Gabriel Valero-Lopez, Helena Alarcon-Martinez, Kimberly Goodspeed, Marjon Van Slegtenhorst, Tahsin Stefan Barakat, Rikke Steensbjerre Møller, Katrine M Johannesen, Guido Rubboli: Intrafamilial variability in SLC6A1-related neurodevelopmental disorders. Frontiers in Neuroscience, section Neurodevelopment 12(17): 1219262, July 2023.
Molisani, Sara; Parikh, Darshana; DiGiovine, Marissa; Dlugos, Dennis; Fitzgerald, Mark; Fried, Lawrence; Helbig, Ingo; Kessler, Sudha; McDonnell, Pamela; Melamed, Susan; Prelack, Marisa; Sharif, Uzma; Tefft, Sarah; Tencer, Jaclyn; Witzman, Stephanie; Shaw, Kathy; Abend, Nicholas: A quality improvement initiative to improve folic acid supplementation counseling for adolescent females with epilepsy. Epilepsia 64(10): 2818-2826, October 2023.
Christina L. Szperka MD, MSCE, Stephanie Witzman BA, Svetlana Ostapenko MS, John T. Farrar MD, MSCE, PhD, Jesse Yenchih Hsu PhD, Carrie P. Malavolta MSN, MBE, Janille D. Bunney CCRP, Erin M. Bange MD, MSCE, Carlyn Patterson Gentile MD, PhD, Gerardo Velasquez BS, Blanca Marquez de Prado PhD, Mahgenn Cosico BS, Meyeon Lee MD, Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell MD, Marisa S. Prelack MD, Madeline Chadehumbe MD, Donna J. Stephenson MD, Elizabeth Kichula MD, Scott C. Tomaine DO, Andrew D. Hershey MD PhD.: Patient headache questionnaires can improve headache diagnosis and treatment in children. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain 63(10): 1359-1371, December 2023.
2022
Shridhar Parthasarathy, Sarah M Ruggiero, Fernanda C Soardi, Bethânia F R Ribeiro, Douglas E V Pires, David B Ascher, Alain Schmitt, Caroline Rambaud, Hongbo M Xie, Laina Lusk, Olivia Wilmarth, Pam Pojomovsky McDonnell, Olivia A Juarez, Cyril Mignot, Domitille Gras, Caroline Nava, Samuel Pierce, Boris Keren, Benjamin Kennedy, Antoinette Gelot, Sergio D J Pena, Ingo Helbig, Vishnu Anand Cuddapah: A recurrent de novo splice site variant involving DNM1 alternative exon 10a causes developmental and epileptic encephalopathy through a dominant-negative mechanism. The American Journal of Human Genetics 109(12): 2253-2269, December 2022.
Abstracts (includes Posters and Scientific Presentations)
2025
Dawn Deike, DO; Pamela McDonnell, MD, FAES; Coralee Del Valle Mojica, MD, MPH; Monica Lu, MD; Kate E Wallis, MD, MPH; Cassie Kline, MD, MAS; Stephanie Menko, MD; Priscilla Ortiz, PhD; Gabriela Jenicek, Katie McPeak, MD: Providing Language Access Training at CHOP to the Department of Pediatrics. CHOP Health Equity Week April 2025.
Varnet M, Armstong D, Goodspeed, K, Lusk L, and Mcdonnell, P.: Prevalence of Behavior Concerns in SLC6A1 Neurodevelopmental Disorder: Thinking Beyond Seizure Management in Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathies. American Academy of Neurology, San Diego, CA April 2025.
Brian LaGrant, MD, Mark Ramos, BS, Alexander K Gonzalez, MBA, MS, Yessenia Ortiz, and Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, MD, FAES: Implementation and Impact of a Spanish Language Pediatric Neurology Clinic: Early Insights. Child Neurology Society meeting, Charlotte, NC October 2025 Notes: accepted.
Lectures by Invitation
2026
Pam P. McDonnell. Disparities Dialogue: "A Space to Discover, Discuss, and Dismantle Inequities" - Pediatric Epilepsy, SEQUINS (Society for Equity Neuroscience), virtual expert panel. Jan 2026.
Pam P. McDonnell. "Evaluación y tratamiento de la primera convulsión no provocada en niños" (Evaluation and treatment of the first unprovoked seizure in children), XVIII Curso Internacional de Pediatría, Puebla, Mexico (lecture was recorded virtually). Jan 2026.
2025
Pam P. McDonnell. "Evaluación y tratamiento de la primera convulsión no provocada en niños" (Evaluation and Management of the First Unprovoked seizure). 12ª Cumbre Pediátrica de la Sociedad Mexicana de Pediatria. Mexico City, Mexico. Oct 2025.
Pam P. McDonnell. "Trastornos paroxísticos no epilépticos en la infancia" (Paroxysmal Non-epileptic Events in Infancy). 12ª Cumbre Pediátrica de la Sociedad Mexicana de Pediatria. Mexico City, Mexico. Oct 2025.
Pam P. McDonnell. "Neurogenetica" (virtual). Seminario de Pediatria. Ciberpeds-Conapeme. Mexico. Mar 2025.
Pam P. McDonnell. "First-time unprovoked seizure"(in person). 19th SEHA International Pediatric Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Feb 2025.
Pam P. McDonnell. "Paroxysmal non-epileptic events in infancy" (in person). 19th SEHA International Pediatric Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Feb 2025.
Pam P. McDonnell. "Sudden Vision Loss - What You Should Think of" (in person). 19th SEHA International Pediatric Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Feb 2025.
2024
Pam P. McDonnell. "Gene Therapies for Epilepsy", 4th Middle East International Paediatric Neurology Congress, Dubai, UAE (virtual lecture). Sept 2024.
Pam P. McDonnell. SLC6A1 Virtual Lunch and Learn - free webinar, hosted by SLC6A1 Connect (patient foundation). Mar 2024.
Pam P. McDonnell. Family Presentation with Dr. Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, hosted by Cure GABA-A (patient foundation). Feb 2024.
Books
2017
Pamela Pojomovsky McDonnell, edited by Maria Rodriguez: El manual de la Dieta Cetogenica (Spanish translation of the Ketogenic Diet Manual). The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Department of Neurology 2017.
Editorials, Reviews, Chapters
2024
J. Hart, MD; M. Blackstone, MD; V. Scheid, MD; T. Kaur, MD; S. Haas, MD; P. Mcdonnell, MD: L. Fried, MD; J. Burns, MD; K. Murphy, D: Emergency Department and Inpatient Clinical Pathwayfor Evaluation/Treatment of Children with Febrile SeizuresWithout Neurologic Disease. Clinical Pathways July 2024 Notes: https://www.chop.edu/clinical-pathway/febrile-seizures-without-known-seizure-disorder-emergency-and-inpatient-clinical-pathway.