Paul Soden is an MD candidate at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania as a 21st Century Scholar, where he hopes to explore the intersection of neuroscience, maternal/child health, and public health. Paul graduated as a Merrill Presidential Scholar from Cornell University with a BS in Human Biology, Health, and Society. He was awarded the Robinson Award, the Ruthanna Wood David Award, and the Frank and Rosa Rhodes Scholarship.

Paul hopes to spend his career as a clinician, researcher, and advocate working to make sure all neurodivergent children and their families feel well-supported by the healthcare system. In college, he developed a neural model for understanding crisis behaviors (colloquially, ‘meltdowns’) in children with autism. He plans to continue this work at Penn with the ultimate goal of developing a meltdown-prevention therapy. Paul also developed several new technologies to study cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), including a microfluidic model of CSF dynamics. He hopes to use these tools to help work toward a non-surgical therapy for hydrocephalus—a disease where CSF accumulates in the brain.

Beyond research, Paul is passionate about education. In 2019, he co-founded a health education nonprofit, Community HealthEd, which has grown into a network of students across the country who work together to promote health literacy in their communities. He also worked at the New York Institute for Special Education in college and hopes to advance models of care that better support children with disabilities by promoting direct collaboration between teachers and physicians. Paul is also a passionate advocate for maternal health and volunteers as a birth doula. He hopes to further study the benefits of doula support and advocate for Medicaid reimbursement of doula services.

Paul is from Rye Brook, NY. He enjoys spending his free time hiking, running, and exploring new restaurants with friends.