David A Kaufman, MD

David Kaufman, MD, is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the Division of Neonatology. He has focused much of his research on the prevention and treatment of neonatal infections, designing and conducting randomized controlled trials. Most notably his studies demonstrating the efficacy and safety of fluconazole prophylaxis in the NICU was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and has impacted NICU practice. He continued to study optimal dosing, demonstrating twice-weekly dosing is as effective and helps prevent the emergence of resistance, and finally, the important long-term safety of clinical and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 8 to 10 years.

In preventing bacterial infections, he has led studies of gloving in addition to hand hygiene and topical antiseptic application to the umbilicus while umbilical catheters are in place. Currently, he is working on optimal dosing of enteral lactoferrin to prevent infection, NEC and improve growth and a web-based APP for antibiotic stewardship.

Dr. Kaufman has chaired the Neonatal Sepsis Club at the Annual Pediatric Academic Societies’ Meeting since 2003. He is currently a member of the Committee of the Fetus and Newborn (COFN) of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In addition to infection prevention, Dr. Kaufman is interested in improving the care and all outcomes of extremely preterm infants. These patients have to overcome many hurdles during their hospitalization that may affect survival and their neurodevelopmental outcomes. He led and published the NICU’s quality improvement team’s work to improve the coordination of care for the most extremely preterm infants to create an improved process in which care is coordinated minute-to-minute in the delivery room, hour-to-hour the first day, then day-to- day and week-to-week afterward, and between disciplines, resulting in improved outcomes that earned the NICU the Charles L. Brown Award for Patient Care Quality at the University of Virginia.

He credits much of his neonatology knowledge from the bedside nurses and believes what happens at the bedside significantly advances patient care.

Gender

Male

Languages

English

Age Groups Seen

Infants (0-2)

Primary Education

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Residency

Albert Einstein Medical Center

Fellowships

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Certification

American Board of Pediatrics (Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine), American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)

• 2013-2023 Best Doctors in America® List