Maura Ruzhnikov

Maura Ruzhnikov serves as the Lead Physician in the Division of Rare Diseases and Medical Genetics at the FDA since November 2022 and is also an Associate Medical Staff Physician at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, focusing on neurogenetics and leukodystrophy. As a co-founder of The Little Zebra Fund, Ruzhnikov leads a non-profit that funds clinical genetic testing denied by insurance. Previously, Ruzhnikov was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Child Neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where the first pediatric neurogenomics clinic was established, and served as a Clinician Investigator and Principal Investigator for rare disease clinical trials. Ruzhnikov completed a medical genetics residency with a focus on neurogenetic disorders, alongside a pediatric neurology residency at UCSF Medical Center. Ruzhnikov holds an MD from NYU Grossman School of Medicine and a BS in Microbiology from UC Santa Barbara.