David Ansel

David Ansel serves as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, with additional membership in the Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI). He currently holds leadership positions as Lead Physician for both the DBP Primary Care Initiative (since 2015) and the DBP Middle Childhood Program (since 2018).

Dr. Ansel received his medical education from UCLA (now Geffen) School of Medicine in 1984, completed his pediatrics residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, and pursued a clinical fellowship in developmental pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital. His professional journey includes board certification in both Pediatrics (1988) and Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (2004).

With over 28 years of clinical experience, Dr. Ansel has focused on integrating Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) with primary care, particularly for children with special health care needs. His clinical expertise spans learning differences and disabilities, complex ADHD cases, high functioning autism spectrum disorders, anxiety and mood disorders in school-age children, care coordination, psychopharmacology, and special education.

His research portfolio demonstrates a consistent focus on improving ADHD management in primary care settings and advancing developmental behavioral pediatrics. The 2019 publication on variation in ADHD management by primary care providers revealed significant differences in clinical practice patterns, while his 2022 work on middle childhood developmental behavioral pediatrics represents his ongoing commitment to this specialty area.

Dr. Ansel pioneered Stanford's DBP Primary Care Initiative (DBPCI) and was instrumental in implementing telehealth services across his division, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is currently planning DBPCI 2.0, leveraging pandemic-era telehealth experience to enhance collaboration between DBP and primary care services for broader patient access.

Early in his career, Dr. Ansel founded a solo pediatric practice in 1989 that grew to an 8-provider group over 25 years. His practice was a founding member of the Pediatric Physicians' Organization at Children's (PPOC), one of the largest pediatric independent practice associations in the country with over 200 providers affiliated with Boston Children's Hospital. During this period, he participated in numerous quality improvement initiatives focusing on asthma, weight management, ADHD, medical home models, and behavioral health integration with primary care.