David K. Stevenson

David K. Stevenson, M.D., is a distinguished academic leader at Stanford University, holding the Harold K. Faber Professorship of Pediatrics and courtesy professorships in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine. He serves as Director of the March of Dimes Foundation Prematurity Research Center and Senior Advisor to the Dean at Stanford School of Medicine, with prior leadership roles including Senior Associate Dean for Maternal & Child Health (2014-2024) and Chief of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine (1989-2007).

• M.D., University of Washington (1975)
• B.A., Stanford University, Philosophy (1971)

Dr. Stevenson's research focuses on heme catabolism and bilirubin production in neonates, investigating targeted approaches to prevent hemolytic jaundice and neurologic injury. He leads studies on preterm birth mechanisms, spanning clinical trials on interventions like phenobarbital and glutamine supplementation, alongside machine learning models for predicting neonatal morbidities from proteomic and metabolomic data. His work addresses maternal-fetal interface immunobiology and health disparities in preterm outcomes.

His publications reveal expertise in multiomic integration for labor prediction, single-cell immunology, and metabolic biomarkers for conditions like bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Recent articles examine SSRI effects in COVID-19 and maternal BMI's role in preterm birth.

Scientific Recognition:

• Virginia Apgar Award (2006)
• John Howland Award (2019)
• Maureen Andrew Mentor Award (2011)
• Member, National Academy of Medicine (2015)
• Jonas Salk Award for Prematurity Prevention (2011)

Dr. Stevenson has advised numerous doctoral candidates and led large-scale clinical trials through the NICHD Neonatal Research Network, including studies on vitamin A supplementation, surfactant therapies, and hypothermia protocols for neonatal encephalopathy. His cross-disciplinary affiliations include Bio-X, MCHRI, and Stanford Woods Institute.