Dimitri Christakis

A pediatrician, researcher, activist and author, Dimitri Christakis’ passion is developing actionable strategies to optimize the cognitive, emotional and social development of preschool children. The pursuit of that passion has taken him from the exam room, to the community and, most recently, to cages of newborn mice as he studies the effects of early environmental influences on child health and development.

Christakis is professor of pediatrics at University of Washington, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and an attending pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital. He is author of more than 150 original research articles, a textbook of pediatrics and the book The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television Work For Your Kids. A frequent speaker to international audiences of pediatricians, parents and educators about the impact of early learning on brain development, Christakis’ work has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS and NPR, as well as major newspapers both nationally and internationally.