Christopher Gillberg is a world-renowned expert in child and adolescent psychiatry with over five decades of clinical and research experience. He serves as Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Gothenburg since the mid-1980s and holds the position of Chief Physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. As founder and director of the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre since 2010, he has established one of the world's leading research hubs for neurodevelopmental disorders. His distinguished career includes prestigious appointments as Fulbright Visiting Professor at New York University Medical School in 1993 and numerous visiting professorships at leading institutions including University College London, University of Glasgow, and University of Edinburgh.
Professor Gillberg has made seminal contributions to the understanding of autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental conditions through his extensive research program spanning genetics, epidemiology, and clinical phenomenology. He has published more than 800 peer-reviewed scientific papers and authored 38 influential books translated into over a dozen languages, with his work focusing on the complex interrelationships between various neurodevelopmental disorders. His conceptualization of ESSENCE (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations) has revolutionized clinical approaches to children with multiple co-occurring conditions, providing a crucial framework for comprehensive assessment and intervention. His leadership in major longitudinal studies, including the Bergen Child Study and Japan Environment and Children Study, has generated invaluable data on the developmental trajectories of neurodevelopmental disorders.
As a dedicated clinician-scientist, Professor Gillberg remains actively engaged in patient care while continuing to shape the field through his research and mentorship of the next generation of specialists. His work has been recognized with the INSAR Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, highlighting his profound impact on autism research globally. The Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, under his direction, has become an international reference point for evidence-based approaches to neurodevelopmental disorders, fostering collaborations across multiple continents. Professor Gillberg continues to advance the understanding of the complex interplay between trauma, maltreatment, and neurodevelopmental conditions, with his current research focusing on refining diagnostic frameworks and developing targeted interventions that address the multifaceted needs of children and adolescents with ESSENCE.
