Alison Cernich

Alison Cernich, Ph.D., is the Director of the Shriners Children’s Research Institute at Shriners Hospitals for Children, where she leads strategic research efforts to advance pediatric care, innovation, and translational science to improve outcomes for children and families. She brings extensive leadership experience spanning federal science agencies and clinical research organizations.

Prior to joining Shriners Children’s, Dr. Cernich served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health, where she helped guide research portfolios in child health, development, reproductive health, disabilities, and rehabilitation medicine, and contributed to NIH‑wide strategic initiatives.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Cernich held leadership roles in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, including serving as Deputy Director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, coordinating prevention, education, research, and clinical efforts for service members and veterans.

A board‑certified neuropsychologist, she holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and completed postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at the MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. Her research has focused on areas such as traumatic brain injury, computerized neuropsychological assessment, disability, and functional outcomes, and she is the author or co‑author of numerous peer‑reviewed publications and presentations.