Sonika Agarwal, M.B.B.S., MD, FAAN, FCNS
Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology
Clinical Chair, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Family StEPS: Starting Early with Psychosocial Support Program
Faculty Search Advisor, IDEA- Neurology Co-Director, Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Clinical Director, Fetal Neonatal Neuroscience, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Section Chief, Fetal and Neonatal Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Program Director, Fetal-Neonatal Neurology Fellowship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Department: Neurology
Contact information
Dr. Sonika Agarwal
The HUB/Division of Neurology
3401 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
The HUB/Division of Neurology
3401 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Email:
agarwals2@chop.edu
agarwals2@chop.edu
Links
Twitter Profile
LinkedIn
BOD, Child Neurology Foundation
Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open Podcast Series
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Twitter Profile
BOD, Child Neurology Foundation
Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open Podcast Series
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Education
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery)
Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, 1991.
MD, DNB (Obstetrics & Gynecology)
Diplomate of National Board, New Delhi, India, 1996.
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery)
Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, 1991.
MD, DNB (Obstetrics & Gynecology)
Diplomate of National Board, New Delhi, India, 1996.
Post-Graduate Training
Rotating Internship, Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Varanasi, India, 1991-1992.
Resident in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, 1992-1995.
Clinical Fellow/Senior Registrar, Obstetrics & Gynecology (High Risk OB/Maternal Fetal Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India, 1996-1999.
Postdoctoral Fellow Health Services Research and Policy, NIH training grant, Strong Memorial Hospital, University Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, 2010-2011.
Resident in Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 2011-2013.
Fellow in Child Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas , 2013-2016.
Rotating Internship, Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Varanasi, India, 1991-1992.
Resident in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, 1992-1995.
Clinical Fellow/Senior Registrar, Obstetrics & Gynecology (High Risk OB/Maternal Fetal Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, India, 1996-1999.
Postdoctoral Fellow Health Services Research and Policy, NIH training grant, Strong Memorial Hospital, University Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, 2010-2011.
Resident in Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 2011-2013.
Fellow in Child Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas , 2013-2016.
Certifications
Board Certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology, India, 1995.
American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology, 2016.
Permanent linkBoard Certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology, India, 1995.
American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology, 2016.
Description of Clinical Expertise
Dr. Agarwal is the Section Chief, Neonatal Neurology and Clinical Director, Fetal Neonatal Neuroscience, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Agarwal is a faculty member of the CHOP Fetal Neonatal Neurology Section/ Neuroscience Center, Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, Neonatal Neurocritical Care Program and Pediatric Stroke Program. She is a neurology consultant in CHOP neonatal, cardiac, and pediatric intensive care units. Dr. Agarwal has dual training in maternal fetal medicine and child neurology/fetal neonatal neurology. Her areas of expertise include fetal neurology, neonatal neurology, acute N/IICU management and neurodevelopmental follow up across the lifespan in neonates with perinatal brain injury, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), stroke, structural brain abnormalities, and other high-risk perinatal events. She has educational and clinical collaborations with several regional maternal-fetal and neonatal centers. She has led the work to develop the innovative inpatient telemedicine network for all affiliate neonatal intensive care units to provide specialized neonatal neurology consultations to improve access and clinical care.Fetal-Neonatal Neurology
Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, Perinatal brain injury
Neonatal Stroke
Neurocritical care
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Prenatal brain malformations and perinatal counseling
Medical education
Description of Other Expertise
Clinical practice and outcomes research (fetal- neonatal neurology)Advocacy for maternal, fetal and pediatric brain health
Parental Perspectives
Global Health
Description of Research Expertise
Dr. Agarwal is the Section Chief, Fetal Neonatal Neurology and Clinical Director, Fetal Neonatal Neuroscience, and Program Director, Fetal Neonatal Neurology fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. With her dual expertise as a maternal-fetal medicine and fetal neonatal neurology specialist she has successfully launched an innovative Fetal Neurology Consortium and has built collaborations with leaders of established fetal-neonatal neurology programs to co-develop fetal neurology practice recommendations reviews, educational curricula, and family resources. The collaborative work led to formation of the Child Neurology Society Fetal Neurology Special Interest Group in June 2022 to foster an interdisciplinary network of pediatric neurology specialists.Dr. Agarwal is an accomplished educator and has been awarded several education awards. She serves as an Associate/Section Editor for the Fetal-Neonatal Neurology sections at the journals Pediatric Neurology, Journal of Child Neurology, and Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology and has presented and organized symposia at national/international conferences. She has also developed several podcasts/articles for medical and family education. She is also a Faculty Advisor/Mentor for the AAN leadership development programs to mentor future leaders in neurology and a participant on the AAN Neurology on the Hill and Palatucci Leadership Forum for advocacy initiatives.
Dr. Agarwal has leadership role as a Steering Committee Member to the Global Pregnancy Collaborative (CoLab), and an Adjunct Member on Global Research on Developmental Disabilities Collaborators (GRDDC). Dr. Agarwal is the Vice-Chair of the Child Neurology Section, American Academy of Neurology and serves on the Board of Directors at the Child Neurology Foundation & Fetal Neurology Foundation.
Fetal-neonatal neurology curriculum development and research
Clinical practice and outcomes research
Advocacy for maternal, fetal, and pediatric health
Psychosocial support for families
Selected Publications
Co-editor Sonika Agarwal, Charu Venkatesan, Mark Scer: Fetal Neonatal Neurology Program Development: Principles and Practice. Seminars in Fetal Neonatal Medicine. Editor-in-Chief Steven Donn, MD, FAAP, FAARC University of Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America (eds.). Elsevier, I, March 2024.Giulia S Porcari, Rudmila N Rashid, Caitlyn A Mulvihill, Lauren A Beslow, Holly A Dubbs, Erica Schindewolf, Michael C Kaufman, Alexander K Gonzalez, Juliana S Gebb, Sonika Agarwal, MBBS MD, Matthew T Whitehead, Ana G Cristancho: Stratification of phenotypes in childhood-onset COL4A1/COL4A2-related disorders based on age of presentation. Neurology Genetics PMC13148870. 4(12), May 2026.
Gano D, Boardman JP, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C, Tarui T, Chau V, Wusthoff CJ, Lemmon ME, Scelsa B, Vollmer B, Mulkey SB, Scher MS, Hart AR, Peeples ES, Nakwa F, Molloy E, Pardo AC, Newborn Brain Society Guidelines and Publications Committee.: Neonatal neurocritical care considerations for prenatally identified neurological disorders. Pediatric Research Janurary 2026.
Dunbar M, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C, Vollmer B, Scelsa B, Pardo AC, Tarui T, Hart AR, Mulkey SB, Lemmon ME, Gano D: Fetal intracerebral hemorrhage: review of the literature and practice considerations. Pediatric Research March 2025.
Pardo AC, Agarwal S, Vollmer B, Venkatesan C, Scelsa B, Lemmon ME, Mulkey SB, Scher M, Hart AR, Gano D, Tarui T. : Fetal Callosal Anomalies: A Narrative Review and Practical Recommendations for Pediatric Neurologists. Pediatric Neurology 165: 117-127, April 2025.
Field NK, Venkatesan C, Gano D, Agarwal S, Young KA, Wheeler S, Russ JB, Lemmon ME.: Communicating neurological prognosis in the prenatal period: a narrative review and practice guidelines. Pediatric Research July 2025.
Venkatesan C, Gano D, Scelsa B, Vollmer B, Lemmon ME, Pardo AC, Mulkey SB, Tarui T, Scher M, Hart AR, Agarwal S.: Prenatally Diagnosed Absent Septum Pellucidum and Septo-Optic Dysplasia: A Narrative Review and Practical Recommendations for Pediatric Neurologists. Pediatric Neurology 164: 17-24, March 2025.
Scelsa B, Gano D, Hart AR, Vollmer B, Lemmon ME, Tarui T, Mulkey SB, Scher M, Pardo AC, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C. : Prenatally Diagnosed Holoprosencephaly: Review of the Literature and Practical Recommendations for Pediatric Neurologists. Pediatric Neurology 162: 87-96, January 2025.
Bach AM, Gano D, Venkatesan C, Lemmon ME, Agarwal S.: Difficult Conversations in Fetal-Neonatal Neurology: National Survey of Educational Experiences and Needs of Child Neurology Residents. Pediatric Neurology 167: 103=109, March 2025.
Russ JB, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C, Scelsa B, Vollmer B, Tarui T, Pardo AC, Lemmon ME, Mulkey SB, Hart AR, Nagaraj UD, Kuller JA, Whitehead MT, Cohen JL, Gebb JS, Glenn OA, Norton ME, Gano D: Fetal malformations of cortical development: review and clinical guidance. Brain March 2025.
Venkatesan C, Cortezzo D, Habli M, Agarwal S.: Interdisciplinary fetal neurology care: Current practice, challenges, and future directions. Seminars Fetal Neonatal Medicine. 29(1), February 2024.
Agarwal S, Venkatesan C, Vollmer B, Scelsa B, Lemmon ME, Pardo AC, Mulkey SB, Tarui T, Dadhwal V, Scher M, Hart AR, Gano D: Fetal Cerebral Ventriculomegaly: A Narrative Review and Practical Recommendations for Pediatric Neurologists. Pediatric Neurology Elsevier, 156: 119-127, April 2024.
Scher MS, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C: Clinical decisions in fetal-neonatal neurology II: Gene-environment expression over the first 1000 days presenting as "four great neurological syndromes" Seminars in Fetal Neonatal Medicine 29(1), February 2024.
Scher MS, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C: Clinical decisions in fetal-neonatal neurology I. reproductive and pregnancy health influence the neural exposome over multiple generations. Seminars in Fetal Neonatal Medicine. Science Direct, 29(1), February 2024.
Kirsten E. Craddock, Jillian L. McKee, Mark Fitzgerald, Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, Sonika Agarwal.: Neonatal hypertonia and progressive respiratory failure due to novel heterozygous mutation in ATAD1. Pediatric Neurology Dr. Yasmin Khakoo (eds.). Elsevier Inc, ISSN 0887-8994. 142: 56-57, March 2023.
Ashley Bach, Charu Venkatesan, Dawn Gano, Monica Lemmon, Sonika Agarwal: Difficult conversations in fetal neonatal neurology: National survey of educational experiences of child neurology residents Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada May 2024.
Scher MS, Agarwal S, Venkatesan C: Fetal-neonatal neurology principles and practice: Current curriculum development. Seminars in Fetal Neonatal Medicine. Science Direct, 29(1), February 2024.
Rudmila Rashid, Ashley Bach, Virali Patel, Khushboo Saha, Juliana Gebb, Shelly Soni, Kendra Miller, Ana G. Cristancho, Sonika Agarwal: Agenesis of the corpus callosum: clinical characteristics and outcomes among children with complete or partial agenesis in a twenty-year retrospective cohort. Child Neurology Society 52nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada October 2023 Notes: Poster accepted.
Kumar N, Nomakuchi T, Vossough A, Leonard JMM, Dubbs H, Agarwal S: A Case of INPP5E-Related Joubert Syndrome: Connecting Evolving Phenotype With Novel Genotype. Pediatric Neurology. Dr. Yasmin Khakoo (eds.). 145: 112-114, August 2023.
Tarui T, Venkatesan C, Gano D, Lemmon ME, Mulkey SB, Pardo AC, Emrick L, Scher M, Agarwal S: Fetal Neurology Practice Survey: Current Practice and the Future Directions. Pediatric Neurology. Dr. Yasmin Khakoo (eds.). 145: 74-79, August 2023.
Sonika Agarwal, Tomo Tarui, Virali Patel, Abigail Turner, Usha Nagaraj, Charu Venkatesan.: Prenatal Neurologic Diagnosis: Challenges in Neuroimaging, Prognostic Counseling, and Prediction of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes. Pediatric Neurology. Dr. Yasmin Khakoo (eds.). Elsevier B.V. 142: 60-67, May 2023.
Virali Patel, Tomo Tarui, Charulata Venkatesan, Sonika Agarwal: Prenatal Neurologic Diagnosis: Challenges in Neuroimaging, Prognostic Counseling, and Prediction of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes. Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting 2022 October 2022.
Joseph Vithayathil; Colbey Freeman; Marin Jacobwitz; Erin Simon Schwartz; Sonika Agarwal: Prolonged neurologic deficits with brain MRI changes following ECT in an adolescent with CACNA1a-related disorder; a case report. BMC Neurology BMC Neurol. 2022 Dec 9;22(1):466. doi: 10.1186/s12883-022-02994-7. PMID: 36494636 Springer Nature, 22(466): 3-6, December 2022.
Giulia S Porcari, Rudmila N Rashid, Caitlyn A Mulvihill, Lauren A Beslow, Holly A Dubbs, Erica Schindewolf, Juliana S Gebb, Sonika Agarwal, Matthew T Whitehead, Ana G Cristancho : Age-related differences in the presentation of COL4A1/2-related disorders Child Neurology Society Annual Meeting 2024 November 2024.
Sonika Agarwal, Mark Scher: Fetal Neonatal Neurology Program Development: Continuum of care During the First 1000 Days. Journal of Perinatology Springer Nature, 42(2): 165-168, Feb 2022.
Sonika Agarwal : The Guiding Star: The Journey of an International Physician From Maternal Fetal Medicine to Fetal Neonatal Neurology. Child Neurology Open Sage Neuroscience and Neurology, July 2021 Notes: ecollection.
Agarwal S, Scher MS, Tilton A: Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitative Care: The Role of Home-Based Care and Family-Centered Approach. Indian Pediatrics 9(58): 813-814, September 2021.
Agarwal S, Keller J, Clark GD, Emrick LT: Fetal central nervous system malformations: a ten year review of prenatal consultations at a tertiary care center. Child Neurology Society Poster Presentation, Vancuover, Canada Sept 2016 Notes: Outstanding Junior Member Award CNS 2016.
Carlyn Patterspn Gentile, Duriel Hardy, Sonika Agarwal: Acute fulminant cerebral edema: a profile of 5 pediatric cases from a tertiary care center. Poster, American Academy of Neurology Annual Conference May 2020.
Keller J, Nunneley C, Srivaths P, Braun MC, Muscal E, Lotze TE, Agarwal S: A ten year profile of plasmapheresis use in pediatric neurologic disorders at a tertiary care center. American Academy of Neurology Poster Presentation, Boston, MA April 2017.
Sonika Agarwal: When and how to diagnose a child with cerebral palsy. Agarwal S. (2019) When and How to Evaluate the Child with Possible Cerebral Palsy. In: Miller F., Bachrach S., Lennon N., O'Neil M. (eds) Cerebral Palsy. Springer, Cham. Miller F., Bachrach S., Lennon N., O'Neil M (eds.). Page: 1-9, November 2018.
Agarwal S, Keller J, Clark GD, Emrick LT: Fetal central nervous system malformations: a ten year review of prenatal consultations at a tertiary care center. American Academy of Neurology Poster Presentation, Boston, MA April 2017.
Sonika Agarwal, Alison Christy: JCN: What Your Pediatric Neurologist Wants You to Know: Neonatal Neurology JCN's Residents and Fellows Board Director, Dr. Alison Christy, interviews Dr. Sonika Agarwal, a neonatal neurologist from Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. http://sageneuroscience.sage-publications.libsynpro.com/ Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open Podcast Series. Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open (eds.). Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open, March 2021.
Sonika Agarwal, Alison Christy: JCN: NICU Series- Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum Dr. Sonika Agarwal of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia talks about Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum. http://sageneuroscience.sage-publications.libsynpro.com/jcn-nicu-series-agenesis-of-the-corpus-callosum Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open Podcast Series. Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open (eds.). Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open, June 2021.
Sonika Agarwal: JCN: NICU Series- Interview with a Parent and the Brain Recovery Project: Childhood Epilepsy Foundation https://sageneuroscience.libsyn.com/jcn-nicu-series-interview-with-a-parent-and-the-brain-recovery-project-childhood-epilepsy-foundation. Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open (eds.). Sage Neuroscience and Neurology Journal of Child Neurology/Child Neurology Open June 2022.
Shaw, Gina: Neurologists Discuss the Impact of Roe v. Wade Reversal on Neurologic Patients. Neurology Today. 22(16):1,17-18, August 18, 2022. Wolters Kluwer Health (eds.). AAN publications, 22(16): 17-18, August 2022 Notes: Featured in Fetal Neonatal Neurology Section (Press Mention).