Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.

Jack P. Shonkoff is a pediatrician whose professional interests focus on the intersection of science, policy, and practice. He currently chairs the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, a multidisciplinary collaboration comprising leading scientists in early childhood, early brain development, and economics, whose mission is to bring sound and accurate science to bear on public decision-making affecting the lives of young children. Dr. Shonkoff was recently appointed Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Shonkoff has authored more than 130 publications, including 9 books and has received multiple professional honors, including elected membership to the Institute of Medicine and the C. Anderson Aldrich Award in Child Development from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, he chaired the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development for the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, which produced a landmark report entitled, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. 

In 2002, Dr. Shonkoff was honored with a lifetime appointment as a National Associate of the National Academies for his extraordinary contributions. He is the Samuel F. and Rose B. Gingold Professor of Human Development and Social Policy and former Dean of The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.