Samiya Ahmad, MD | Pediatric Neurologist

Samiya Ahmad, MD is a fellowship-trained, dual board-certified pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine physician. Dr. Ahmad trained in pediatrics, pediatric neurology, and sleep medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Dr. Ahmed spent 12 years in academic medicine, reaching the rank of Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Ahmad established Houston Pediatric Neurology and Sleep in 2023 to eliminate barriers between doctors and families, and to provide compassionate, high-quality, patient-centered care.

Residency and Fellowship

Dr. Ahmad completed her pediatric residency, child neurology residency, and sleep medicine fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Her neurology and sleep medicine training involved ample time in adult medicine, which she participated in at several Texas Medical Center (TMC) hospitals including Houston Methodist Hospital, Baylor-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Ben Taub General Hospital, and VA Medical Center. Dr. Ahmad is one of a handful of physicians in the country with fellowship training and board certification in both child neurology and sleep medicine.

Dr. Ahmad is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with a Special Qualification in Child Neurology and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Subspecialty Board of Sleep Medicine.

Teaching, Research, and Experience

After completing her training in 2011, Dr. Ahmad joined UT Health San Antonio and CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital in San Antonio as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology. She transitioned to Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) as faculty in 2013, while remaining at CHRISTUS Children’s in San Antonio. Dr. Ahmad was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics in 2022. Dr. Ahmad uses her knowledge as a clinician-educator to empower her patients and families to learn about this medical disorder and guides them on how to best take care of their health. Her research includes studying epidemiology of neurological disorders in conjunction with the Texas Department of Birth Defects and has been involved in numerous drug trials. She was the Principal Investigator for the TEVA Migraine Trial with fremanezumab (Ajovy), a monthly injectable medication that utilizes recombinant monoclonal antibodies to CGRP for the prevention of headaches in children.

Selected Publications

Miller RM, Zarka A, Ahmad SF. The Case of the Rare Malformation and Rare Variant: An Infant with a Self-Embolized Torcular Dural Sinus Malformation and a Concomitant Prothrombin Variant. Child Neurology Open. 2022;9. doi:10.1177/2329048X221140784. Available online 28 November 2022
https://doi.org/10.1177/2329048X221140784
Frydson I, Avula S, Ahmad SF. A case of a seven-year-old boy with epilepsy with myoclonic absence: Importance of seizure semiology, genetic etiology, and electroencephalogram correlation for timely intervention, Child Neurology Open. 2022;9.
Doi:10.1177/2329048X221131738. Available online 18 October 2022.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2329048X221131738
Razeq A, Ahmad SF. Early identification of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in the Setting of West Syndrome, Child Neurology Open. Available online 25 November 2021. PMID 34869784
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2329048X211036546
Ahmad SF, Buckley AW, Glaze DG. Neurology of Sleep. Neurologic Clinics. 2021 June https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2021.04.007. Available online 10 Jun 2021 (invited)
Ahmad SF, Buckley AW, Glaze DG. Neurology of Sleep. Neurologic Clinics. 2021 June https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2021.04.007. Available online 10 Jun 2021 (invited)
Ahmad SF, Ahmad KA, Ng YT. Neonatal Epileptic Encephalopathies. Seminars in Pediatrics Neurology. 2021 April,37:100880. doi 10.1016/j.spen.2021.100880. Epub 2021 Mar 4. PMID: 33892847. (invited)
Ahmad SF, Enner S, Morse AM, Kothare SV. Autism: considerations for transitions of care into adulthood. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2020 Jun;32(3):446-452. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000882. PMID: 32068594. (invited) Erratum, October 2021 with co-first author listing
Ahmad KA, Bennett MM, Ahmad SF, Clark RH, Tolia VN. Morbidity and mortality with early pulmonary hemorrhage in preterm neonates. Archives of Disease in Childhood, Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2019. Jan;104(1):F63-F68. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2017-314172. Epub 2018 Jan 27. PMID: 29374627.
Ahmad KA, Desai SJ, Bennett MJ, Ahmad SF, Ng YT, Clark RH, Tolia VN. Changing antiepileptic drug use for seizures in US neonatal intensive care units from 2005 to 2014. Journal of Perinatology. 2017 Mar;37(3):296-300. doi: 10.1038/jp.2016.206. Epub 2016 Nov 10. PMID: 27831551.
Ahmad S, Ng YT. Focal and Multifocal Seizures. Child Neurology Foundation Disorder Directory: learn from the expert. 02/25/2016 (invited)
https://ascendpedneuro.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Focal-and-Multifocal-
Seizures-Child-Neurology-Foundation.pdf

Awards and Accomplishments

During her career at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Ahmad distinguished herself as a clinician, educator, patient advocate, and researcher. She earned the Norton Rose Fulbright Award for Faculty Excellence in 2021 and the American Academy of Neurology A.B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award in 2022. Dr. Ahmad has been named Who’s Who in America's Top Sleep Physician, San Antonio Magazine Top Doctor, Texas Magazine Top Neurologist, and San Antonio Business Journal Top Pediatrician. Dr. Ahmad has been an invited speaker for KSAT-TV, Journal of Child Neurology Podcast, Texas Pediatric Society, CureDuchenne, Autism Community Network, and Epilepsy Society of South and Central Texas, in addition to multiple international webinars. Dr. Ahmad has served as an ad hoc reviewer for the journal Pediatric Neurology.

Patient Advocacy

Dr. Ahmad established, developed, and directed the Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular Clinic at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital out of a need for organized healthcare for boys suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). She argued on behalf of her patients and families to secure insurance coverage for the most up-to-date treatment, including exon-skipping therapy. Most recently she has been at the forefront of obtaining gene therapy for her DMD patients and has paved the path for CHRISTUS Children’s to be among the first in the nation as a site for gene therapy for DMD. Dr. Ahmad was also an integral part of one of the largest Prader-Willi multidisciplinary clinics in the country.

Family and Interests

In her spare time, Dr. Ahmad enjoys running, cycling, volunteering, and family time. She is married with children and gives credit to her husband as a mentor and collaborator and her thought partner. She is especially grateful to her parents for their encouragement and support always.

Professional Memberships