David Shurtleff, PhD
Deputy Director and Acting Scientific Director
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
National Institutes of Health
Talk title: “Advancing Child Health: A Whole Person Health Research Framework”
Spark Meetings are hosted by the Children and Youth Collaborative Network (CYCN)
Register here for meeting (required).
Short Bio: David Shurtleff, Ph.D., is the deputy director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading Federal agency for research on integrative and complementary health practices. He was previously the deputy director of NCCIH. Dr. Shurtleff is also the acting scientific director of the Division of Intramural Research and the acting chief of the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab. He served as acting director of NCCIH from October 2017 to November 2018 and from November 2025 to August 2026.
Dr. Shurtleff’s career at NIH has focused on providing leadership and fostering an extensive research portfolio in the basic behavioral and neurosciences—cognitive studies, behavioral economics, decision theory, and risk-taking—and a broad spectrum of research that has contributed to cutting-edge research related to drug abuse, addiction, and their treatment. Dr. Shurtleff came to NCCIH from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where he served as the acting deputy director. At NIDA, he helped develop, implement, and manage the Institute’s broad grant portfolio covering basic cellular, molecular, and systems neurobiology as well as behavior, treatment, medication development, clinical neuroscience, clinical trials, prevention, and health services research.
Dr. Shurtleff began his career at NIDA as a health scientist administrator in the Behavioral Sciences Research Branch (1995 to 1997). He then became acting deputy director of NIDA’s Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research (1997 to 2000) and later the Division’s deputy director (2000 to 2001). From 2001 to 2011, Dr. Shurtleff served as the director of NIDA’s Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research.
Prior to joining NIDA, Dr. Shurtleff was a research psychologist at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, where he conducted basic behavioral, electrophysiological, cognitive, and field research on a variety of issues related to cognitive performance, environmental stress, and peripheral neuropathy. He also served as a research fellow at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the Department of Medical Neurosciences.
Dr. Shurtleff holds a B.S. degree from the University of Massachusetts. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in experimental psychology from American University. Among his many honors and awards are the NIH Director’s Award for outstanding leadership, vision, dedication, and oversight in developing the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Grand Challenge, and the NIH Director’s Award for outstanding contributions to the development and advancement of diverse programs in basic neuroscience and behavioral research. (Biosketch courtesy of the NIH/NCCIH)
Questions? Contact ChildrenYouthNetwork@wustl.edu.
The Collaborative Youth and Child Network (CYCN) is made possible by a Washington University Transcend Initiative Award. The CYCN aims to catalyze research by facilitating productive collaboration among those at WashU who have the same end goal, to improve the health and wellbeing of children and youth.
