Rujuta B.

Wilson

, MD

Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Pediatrics
UC-LEND Training Director

Biography

Dr. Rujuta Wilson specializes in behavioral neurology, with specific focus on autism spectrum disorders, and related neurodevelopmental disorders. She is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Neurology and Psychiatry. She is also a faculty member in the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART). After completing a combined BA/MD program at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr. Wilson completed residency in pediatrics and child neurology at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wilson was then the recipient of the Savant Behavioral Neurology Fellowship and she completed two years of this training in CART and the Jeste Lab. Throughout her training, Dr. Wilson has remained engaged in gaining a better understanding of cognition and development in patients with neurologic disorders. As a medical student, Dr. Wilson was awarded a grant from The Child Neurology Foundation and the recipient of the W.T. Gill Summer Research Fellowship to study brain malformations and cognitive profiles of patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). While working at UCLA Medical Center as a pediatric neurology fellow, Dr. Wilson worked with Dr. Raman Sankar to gain expertise in identifying and studying new treatments for Epileptic Encephalopathies with a goal to improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Dr. Wilson’s current research is focused on understanding motor abnormalities in ASD, related genetic syndromes, defining the nature of, and sequelae of these motor deficits.  Dr. Wilson utilizes quantitative measures of motor function to better evaluate specific and subtle motor impairments in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Clinically, Dr. Wilson sees patients in The Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental Clinic, Conditions evaluated in these clinics include, autism spectrum disorder, other neurodevelopmental disorders, Tics/Tourette Syndrome, and Neurogenetic conditions. Dr. Wilson also has a longstanding commitment to medical education. She currently serves as the Associate Program Director of the Child Neurology Residency and is the Pediatric Neurology Training Director of the UC-LEND program. Nationally, Dr. Wilson is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the Child Neurology Society. She is an invited member of the AAN Education Committee and the Brain Foundation Child Neurology Expert Workgroup.

Education

2010       The George Washington University School of Medicine; Washington, D.C., M.D.
2010-2012     Resident in Pediatrics, UCLA Medical Center
2012-2015       Fellow in Child Neurology, UCLA
2015-2017       Savant Behavioral Child Neurology Fellow, UCLA
2017-2020       Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) Graduate Program

Research & clinical interests

Dr. Wilson leads the motor phenotyping core at UCLA CART. Dr. Wilson’s NIH funded research is focused on developing quantitative methods of motor phenotyping in order to improve characterization of motor development, better understand how specific motor impairments can impact cognition and language, and develop more targeted interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Wilson’s work also extends to measuring the physical and behavioral benefits of organized physical activity for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Dr. Wilson is an invited member of the United States Tennis Association Sports Science Committee.

Roles within the division/Fellowship

Faculty, Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental Clinic
Lectures on topics related to neurological co-morbidities, neurology board review, and research seminars.
Clinical and research mentor