Current Environment: Production

Medical Services

Programs & Services

Languages

  • English

Education

Undergraduate School

Stanford University

1978, Stanford, CA

Graduate School

MPH

Harvard University School of Public Health

1983, Boston, MA

Medical School

Harvard Medical School

1983, Boston, MA

Internship

Boston Children's Hospital

1984, Boston, MA

Residency

Pediatrics

Boston Children's Hospital

1987, Boston, MA

Fellowship

Joint Program in Neonatology

Boston Children's Hospital

1990, Boston, MA

Certifications

  • American Board of Pediatrics (General)
  • American Board of Pediatrics (Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine)

Professional History

DeWayne Pursley, MD, MPH, is chief of the Department of Neonatology and director of the Klarman Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School (HMS). An elected member of the American Pediatric Society, Dr. Pursley’s interests include NICU resource allocation and utilization, and racial and social disparities in infant outcomes.  He is a member of the NIH Advisory Council for Child Health and Human Development and the board of directors of both the American Board of Pediatrics, where he was the past chair of its Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Sub-board, and the National Perinatal Information Center. He is a founding member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) NICU Verification Program, and in the past has served as chair of the AAP Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Section, co-chair of the AAP Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, and president of the AAP Massachusetts Chapter. He also recently led an AAP project to examine resource overuse in newborn medicine and serves on the steering committee for the Vermont-Oxford Network Newborn Intensive Collaborative for Quality project on antibiotic stewardship. A recipient of the HMS Dean’s Community Service Award, Dr. Pursley has also been recognized with the March of Dimes Massachusetts Chapter Franklin Delano Roosevelt Award, the Excellence in Mentoring Award from the HMS Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs, and the HMS Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award.

Publications

  1. Measuring practice preference variation for quality improvement: development of the Neonatology Survey of Interdisciplinary Groups in Healthcare Tool (NSIGHT). BMJ Open Qual. 2023 12 14; 12(4). View Abstract

  2. Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care: II, III, and IV. Pediatrics. 2023 06 01; 151(6). View Abstract

  3. Getting to health equity in NICU care in the USA and beyond. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2023 Jul; 108(4):326-331. View Abstract

  4. Using the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Wisely: A National Survey of Clinicians Regarding Practices for Lower-Acuity Care. J Pediatr. 2023 02; 253:165-172.e1. View Abstract

  5. Correction: The impact of antenatal cannabis use on the neonate: time for open engagement? Pediatr Res. 2022 Aug; 92(2):609. View Abstract

  6. Infant Outcomes among Teenage and Young Mothers: Racial Inequities and the Role of Educational Attainment. J Pediatr. 2022 08; 247:87-94.e2. View Abstract

  7. Antiracism in the Field of Neonatology: A Foundation and Concrete Approaches. Neoreviews. 2022 01 01; 23(1):e1-e12. View Abstract

  8. The importance of trustworthiness: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatr Res. 2022 02; 91(3):482-485. View Abstract

  9. The impact of antenatal cannabis use on the neonate: Time for open engagement? Pediatr Res. 2021 09; 90(3):503-505. View Abstract

  10. Racial and ethnic disparities in adult COVID-19 and the future impact on child health. Pediatr Res. 2021 04; 89(5):1052-1054. View Abstract

  11. Economics at the frontline: Tools and tips for busy clinicians. Semin Perinatol. 2021 04; 45(3):151396. View Abstract

  12. Choosing wisely for the other 80%: What we need to know about the more mature newborn and NICU care. Semin Perinatol. 2021 04; 45(3):151395. View Abstract

  13. "Organizational solutions: calling the question" APS racism series: at the intersection of equity, science, and social justice. Pediatr Res. 2020 11; 88(5):702-703. View Abstract

  14. Glucose concentrations in enterally fed preterm infants. J Perinatol. 2020 12; 40(12):1834-1840. View Abstract

  15. Quantifying the Where and How Long of Newborn Care. Pediatrics. 2020 08; 146(2). View Abstract

  16. Using Neonatal Intensive Care Units More Wisely for At-Risk Newborns and Their Families. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 06 01; 3(6):e205693. View Abstract

  17. Caring for Newborns Born to Mothers With COVID-19: More Questions Than Answers. Pediatrics. 2020 08; 146(2). View Abstract

  18. Health Equity and the Social Determinants: Putting Newborn Health in Context. Pediatrics. 2020 06; 145(6). View Abstract

  19. Preventing long-term respiratory morbidity in preterm neonates: is there a path forward? Pediatr Res. 2020 01; 87(1):9-10. View Abstract

  20. A Collaborative Multicenter QI Initiative to Improve Antibiotic Stewardship in Newborns. Pediatrics. 2019 12; 144(6). View Abstract

  21. The color of health: how racism, segregation, and inequality affect the health and well-being of preterm infants and their families. Pediatr Res. 2020 01; 87(2):227-234. View Abstract

  22. Cell-based therapies in neonates: the emerging role of regulatory science. Pediatr Res. 2019 08; 86(2):145-146. View Abstract

  23. Preparing for Discharge From the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Pediatrics. 2019 06; 143(6). View Abstract

  24. Racial disparities in preterm birth in USA: a biosensor of physical and social environmental exposures. Arch Dis Child. 2019 10; 104(10):931-935. View Abstract

  25. Adherence of Newborn-Specific Antibiotic Stewardship Programs to CDC Recommendations. Pediatrics. 2018 12; 142(6). View Abstract

  26. NICU Admissions After a Policy to Eliminate Elective Early Term Deliveries Before 39 Weeks' Gestation. Hosp Pediatr. 2018 11; 8(11):686-692. View Abstract

  27. New Resources and Strategies to Advance the AAP's Values of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity. Pediatrics. 2018 04; 141(4). View Abstract

  28. Value-based care: the preference of outcome over prediction. J Pediatr. 2018 05; 196:330-331. View Abstract

  29. Bending the arc for the extremely low gestational age newborn. Pediatr Res. 2018 04; 83(4):751-753. View Abstract

  30. Development of a verification program for NICU levels of care. Acta Paediatrica. 2017; 106:27.

  31. Improving Value in Neonatal Intensive Care. Clin Perinatol. 2017 09; 44(3):617-625. View Abstract

  32. Evidence, Quality, and Waste: Solving the Value Equation in Neonatology. Pediatrics. 2016 Mar; 137(3):e20150312. View Abstract

  33. Choosing Wisely in Newborn Medicine: Five Opportunities to Increase Value. Pediatrics. 2015 Aug; 136(2):e482-9. View Abstract

  34. Improvement in Perinatal HIV Status Documentation in a Massachusetts Birth Hospital, 2009-2013. Pediatrics. 2015 Jul; 136(1):e234-41. View Abstract

  35. The OHRP and SUPPORT. N Engl J Med. 2013 Jun 20; 368(25):e36. View Abstract

  36. Neonatal intensive care unit discharge preparation, family readiness and infant outcomes: connecting the dots. J Perinatol. 2013 Jun; 33(6):415-21. View Abstract

  37. Building collaborative teams in neonatal intensive care. BMJ Qual Saf. 2013 May; 22(5):374-82. View Abstract

  38. Neonatal intensive care unit discharge preparedness: primary care implications. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2012 May; 51(5):454-61. View Abstract

  39. The impact of maternal characteristics on the moderately premature infant: an antenatal maternal transport clinical prediction rule. J Perinatol. 2012 Jul; 32(7):532-8. View Abstract

  40. A survey of infection control practices for influenza in mother and newborn units in US hospitals. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2011 Jun; 204(6 Suppl 1):S77-83. View Abstract

  41. Preparing for influenza after 2009 H1N1: special considerations for pregnant women and newborns. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2011 Jun; 204(6 Suppl 1):S13-20. View Abstract

  42. NIH Consensus Development Conference statement: inhaled nitric-oxide therapy for premature infants. Pediatrics. 2011 Feb; 127(2):363-9. View Abstract

  43. NIH consensus development conference: Inhaled nitric oxide therapy for premature infants. NIH Consens State Sci Statements. 2010 Oct 29; 27(5):1-34. View Abstract

  44. Network analysis of team structure in the neonatal intensive care unit. Pediatrics. 2010 Jun; 125(6):e1460-7. View Abstract

  45. Are families prepared for discharge from the NICU? J Perinatol. 2009 Sep; 29(9):623-9. View Abstract

  46. Manual of Neonatal Surgical Care. Gastrointestinal Obstruction. 2009.

  47. Developmental characteristics of preterm infants. Pediatr Rev. 2008 Feb; 29(2):67-8. View Abstract

  48. Incidence of hypertriglyceridemia in critically ill neonates receiving lipid injectable emulsions in glass versus plastic containers: a retrospective analysis. J Pediatr. 2008 Feb; 152(2):232-6. View Abstract

  49. Resuscitation and ventilation strategies for extremely preterm infants: a comparison study between two neonatal centers in Boston and Stockholm. Acta Paediatr. 2007 Jan; 96(1):10-6; discussion 8-9. View Abstract

  50. Taeusch HW, Ballard RA, Gleason CA, Avery ME, eds. Avery's Diseases of the Newborn. Implications of the Human Genome Project on Neonatal Care. 2004.

  51. Manual of Neonatal Surgical Care. Gastrointestinal Obstruction. 2003.

  52. Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Baby CareLink: Using the Internet and Telemedicine to Improve Care for High Risk Infants. 2002; 399-405.

  53. Journal of Perinatology. Re: A Critical Review of Cost Reduction in Neonatal Intensive Care: The ethics of cost reduction. (Letter). 2002; 22(4):336-37.

  54. Variations in prevalence of hypotension, hypertension, and vasopressor use in NICUs. J Perinatol. 2001 Jul-Aug; 21(5):272-8. View Abstract

  55. Relationship of race and severity of neonatal illness. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2001 Mar; 184(4):668-72. View Abstract

  56. A critical review of cost reduction in neonatal intensive care. I. The structure of costs. J Perinatol. 2001 Mar; 21(2):107-15. View Abstract

  57. A critical review of cost reduction in neonatal intensive care. II. Strategies for reduction. J Perinatol. 2001 Mar; 21(2):121-7. View Abstract

  58. Baby CareLink: using the internet and telemedicine to improve care for high-risk infants. Pediatrics. 2000 Dec; 106(6):1318-24. View Abstract

  59. Declining severity adjusted mortality: evidence of improving neonatal intensive care. Pediatrics. 1998 Oct; 102(4 Pt 1):893-9. View Abstract

  60. Variation among neonatal intensive care units in narcotic administration. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998 Sep; 152(9):844-51. View Abstract

  61. Infertility and Reproductive Clinics of North America. The Special Challenge of the Multiple Gestation Newborn. 1998; 9(3):461-474.

  62. Early deaths in Chicago and New England. Pediatrics. 1997 May; 99(5):753-4. View Abstract

  63. Variability in transfer practices among NICUs: Implications for health services research. Pediatric Research. 1996; 39(4):1580.

  64. Lower illness severity among black infants reflects physiological advantage among moderately low-birth-weight infants. Pediatric Research. 1995; 37(4):A270.

  65. Guidelines for neonatal coombs testing - low compliance and clinical utility. Pediatric Research. 1995; 37(4):A258.

  66. Graef JW, ed. Manual of Pediatric Therapeutics. Management of the Normal Newborn. 1993; 122-136.

  67. Graef JW, ed. Manual of Pediatric Therapeutics. Management of the Sick Newborn. 1993; 137-194.

  68. Clinical determinants of the racial disparity in very low birth weight. N Engl J Med. 1992 Oct 01; 327(14):969-73. View Abstract

  69. Infant mortality as a social mirror. N Engl J Med. 1992 Jun 04; 326(23):1558-60. View Abstract

  70. Cloherty JP, Start AR, eds. Manual of Neonatal Care. Multiple Gestation. 1991; 104-108.

  71. Cloherty JP, Stark AR, eds. Manual of Neonatal Care. Identifying the High Risk Newborn and Evaluating Gestational Age, Prematurity, Postmaturity, Large-For-Gestational Age and Small-For-Gestational Age Infants. 1991; 85-103.

  72. The etiology of elevated black normal birth-weight (NBW) neonatal mortality in a total population with high access to tertiary care. Pediatric Research. 1990; 27(4):A253.

  73. Multiple causation of racial disparities in VLBW- a 2-site population-based study. Pediatric Research. 1990; 27(4):247.

  74. Unsuspected hepatic injury in the neonate--diagnosis by ultrasonography. Pediatr Radiol. 1990; 20(5):320-2. View Abstract

  75. Buka SL, Peck MG, Gardner JD, eds. Better Health for Children: Action for the Eighties. Medical/Curative Services. 1982; 80-82.

In the Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) our philosophy is to ensure that every patient receives the best care for the best possible outcomes. We consider our “patient” to be the baby and the family; we are constantly striving to serve the needs of both. This requires a team based approach with all members being essential. Newborns are the smallest and, at times, among the sickest patients receiving health care. Safe, high quality, family-centered care for these vulnerable patients requires collaboration among knowledgeable, highly skilled clinicians. I’m very privileged to be a member of the team, providing this care while training a promising generation of future physician leaders and contributing to research that will benefit future patients and populations.

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