Tim Oberlander is a curiosity driven physician-scientist (Developmental Paediatrician/Pain Medicine) whose work bridges developmental neurosciences and community child health.  As a clinician he is medical lead for the Complex Pain Service at BC Children’s Hospital. He has particular expertise in managing pain in children with developmental disabilities. As an investigator he leads two research programs studying: 1)  the developmental origins of somatic and psychiatric symptoms in children/youth in the context of perinatal maternal mental health. For the past 25 + years he has focused on understanding how early/in utero exposure to antidepressants and maternal mood disorders shape stress reactivity, cognition and attention during childhood in ways that contribute to the early origins of self-regulation and behavior; 2)  pain in children and youth across the developmental spectrum. This has included studies of pain in youth with cerebral palsy, autistic children and youth, placebo effects in neurotypical youth, and application of  pain assessment based on function and disability in children with developmental disorders. His research uses approaches ranging from studies of molecular/genetic factors, early brain development (MRI neuroimaging), and bio-behavioral reactivity to population-level epidemiological studies that characterize pathways that reflect developmental vulnerability and resiliency. To this end, he has reported novel neurobehavioral outcomes showing that the developing brain has a remarkable capacity for plasticity and even in the face of adversity, some children do very well. The goal of his work is to understand how and why this happens.