Speaker Biography

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Kristina Hardy, PhD

Program Director, Division Of Clinical Research, NINDS
National Institutes Of Health

Kristina K. Hardy, Ph.D., is a Program Director in the Division of Clinical Research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Prior to joining NINDS in 2022, she was a pediatric neuropsychologist at Children's National Hospital and a tenured Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Hardy received her bachelor's degree from Amherst College and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Duke University. Following a pre-doctoral internship year at the Medical University of South Carolina, she returned to Duke to complete a fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology, and later joined the faculty there prior to transitioning to Children's National in 2010. Dr. Hardy has expertise in developmental and acquired difficulties with attention, learning, and executive functioning. Her clinical research program was focused primarily on identifying factors associated with neurocognitive difficulties in survivors of pediatric cancer and children with neurofibromatosis, as well as developing and evaluating interventions for these difficulties. In addition, Dr. Hardy has participated in research with neurodevelopmental populations including ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She was also heavily involved in team science initiatives, including clinical research conducted with the Children's Oncology Group, where she served as Vice-Chair of the Behavioral Science Discipline and Co-Chair of the Neurotoxicity subcommittee of the Cancer Control Domain. Dr. Hardy has a particular interest in the use of technology in neuropsychological health, including computerized assessment and cognitive training programs, as well as the development and validation of cognitive assessments for use in clinical trials. At NINDS, Dr. Hardy manages a portfolio of research centered around cognitive and neurodevelopmental outcomes of pediatric neurological conditions.