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    Peter A. Chiarelli, MD-DPhil

    Assistant Professor
    Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital

    Peter A. Chiarelli, MD, DPhil, is a pediatric neurosurgeon and associate professor of neurological surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's. Dr. Chiarelli is director of the Phoenix Children's Hydrocephalus Program and the Advanced Research in Neurosurgical Illness Program. He specializes in treating children with tumors of the brain and spine, as well as spina bifida, hydrocephalus, neurotrauma, and Chiari malformation. Dr. Chiarelli studied as a Rhodes Scholar and earned a research doctorate in neuroscience from Oxford University in Oxford, England, before continuing to his medical degree from Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed residency training in neurological surgery and a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery in Seattle at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's. As a pediatric neurosurgeon focused on neuroimaging research and applied physics/chemistry, Dr. Chiarelli’s goal is to combine a clinical knowledge base, access to the surgical suite, and a background in benchtop science for investigation of neurological illness, as well as the application of this multi-disciplinary perspective to the improved treatment of patients. Developments in the field of human brain imaging have contributed toward many significant advances in neurosurgical practice and outcomes over the past century. Multiple neurological diseases, including hydrocephalus, all stand to benefit from further investigation and implementation of advanced imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dr. Chiarelli works to develop MRI methods not currently available, that can be used for straightforward application to the clinical neurosciences. For instance, his lab has developed new tools to analyze CSF flow in shunted patients, to improve our understanding of overall hydrocephalus physiology. Dr. Chiarelli's research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Hydrocephalus Association, the Rudi Schulte Research Institute, as well as multiple other foundations. Dr. Chiarelli received the Hydrocephalus Association Innovator Award and has been recognized throughout his academic career as a Top Doc by Los Angeles magazine and Pasadena Magazine.

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