Olaf Kraus De Camargo

Professor, Pediatrics

Dr. Olaf Kraus de Camargo is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. He completed his medical education and pediatric training in Brazil, followed by a residency in Germany where he received training in developmental-behavioural pediatrics/social pediatrics and child neurology and defended his doctoral thesis at Ulm University (Dr. med.). Prior to joining the faculty at McMaster, Dr. Kraus de Camargo held positions in Germany as a Professor of Social Medicine at the University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen and as Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of Kinderzentrum Pelzerhaken gGmbH, an inpatient and outpatient facility for children with developmental-behavioural disabilities and chronic neurologic disorders. 

As a scientist, Dr. Kraus de Camargo is currently the co-director of the CanChild Centre for Childhood-onset Disability Research and a member of the McMaster Autism Research Team (MacART). He practices as a developmental pediatrician at the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre in Hamilton. As a strong advocate for disability rights Dr. Kraus de Camargo is a member of the steering committee of Physicians of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Advocacy (PONDA) and was a member of the Disability Advisory Committee to the Canadian Revenue Agency from 2021 -2024. 

Since 2001, Olaf Kraus de Camargo has been involved with the implementation of the WHO - International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). He co-edited the book ICF: A Hands-On Approach for Clinicians and Families. Dr. Kraus de Camargo has published and presented over 200 articles on the life of children with disabilities and their families. His research interests include the clinical use, implementation and teaching of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as a way to better describe the needs of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities beyond their diagnostic labels.