Desiree D’Souza, M.D., M.S. Child Neurology Fellow

Desiree D’Souza, M.D., M.S., is a Child Neurology Fellow who joined the Developing Brain Institute (DBI) at Children’s National in June 2025. Dr. D’Souza’s research focuses on improving the neurodevelopment of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She is currently investigating the impact of sleep on the formation of functional brain networks in preterm infants. Dr. D’Souza earned her master’s degree in Neuroscience from McGill University in Montreal, where she explored functional brain networks and cross-domain benefits associated with bilingualism. She completed her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. During this