David Stitelman, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery (Pediatrics)Cards
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Surgery (Pediatrics)
Biography
David H. Stitelman, MD, is a surgeon in the Division of Pediatric Surgery within the Department of Surgery at Yale.
As a clinician, Dr. Stitelman cares for children of all ages. He is the surgical director of the Yale Fetal Care Center. Such a program allows families who are given a fetal diagnosis based on prenatal testing an opportunity to meet with surgeons, pediatric medical specialists, obstetricians and neonatologists to plan for the management of their babies before and after birth.
Dr. Stitelman also runs a basic science laboratory with a focus on prenatal therapy. The hope of this line of research is to treat and cure genetic and structural diseases before birth.
Appointments
Pediatric Surgery
Associate Professor on TermPrimaryObstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Associate Professor on TermSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Fetal Care Center
- General Pediatric & Thoracic Surgery
- Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
- Palade House Affiliates
- Pediatric Aerodigestive Disorders Program
- Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Surgery Program
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pediatric Trauma Surgery Program
- Radiobiology and Genome Integrity
- Surgery
- WHRY Pilot Project Program Investigators
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Stem Cell Center
Education & Training
- Fellowship
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (2013)
- Residency
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (2011)
- MD
- University of Pennsylvania Medical School (2004)
Research
Publications
2024
Evaluating Operative Exposure for Medical Students in the Era of Virtual Learning: A Single-Institution Experience
Rivero R, Brown L, Flom E, Morton C, Esdaille C, Jernigan E, Lui F, Stitelman D. Evaluating Operative Exposure for Medical Students in the Era of Virtual Learning: A Single-Institution Experience. Journal Of Surgical Education 2024, 81: 1346-1351. PMID: 39163718, DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2024.07.015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGeneral surgery casesSurgical casesSurgery casesOperating roomSurgical clerkshipSingle-institution experienceMedical studentsClerkship studentsOperating room casesTertiary centerSurgical electivesSurgery exposureInguinal herniaLung cancerSurgical rotationGeneral surgerySurgical teamSkin cancerSurgical specialtiesClinical trainingOperative exposureRoom experienceClerkship directorsClerkshipCancerPrenatal Therapy for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and Myelomeningocele: Advances in Particle-Based Delivery
Rivero R, Stitelman D. Prenatal Therapy for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and Myelomeningocele: Advances in Particle-Based Delivery. Current Stem Cell Reports 2024, 10: 51-57. DOI: 10.1007/s40778-024-00237-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCongenital diaphragmatic herniaDiaphragmatic herniaAnimal modelsIntra-amniotic injectionLong-term functional outcomeParticle-based deliveryFetal therapyPrenatal therapySpinal defectsTarget specific tissuesCo-morbiditiesCongenital diseaseFunctional outcomesTreatment deliveryStructural diseaseClinical translationMyelomeningoceleTherapyHerniaSpecific tissuesTissueDiseaseDeliveryPrenatallyParticle deliveryThe Technical and Ethical Framework of Fetal Therapy: Past and Current Advances
Lynn A, Glazer P, Saltzman W, Stitelman D. The Technical and Ethical Framework of Fetal Therapy: Past and Current Advances. Current Stem Cell Reports 2024, 10: 30-36. DOI: 10.1007/s40778-024-00235-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFetal drug deliverySuccess of nanomedicineDrug deliveryPharmacological drug treatmentsMinimally invasive strategyFetal therapyFetal applicationsClinical studiesCongenital diseaseInvasive strategyDrug treatmentClinical translationClinical practiceTherapyMedical interventionsDeliveryFetalNanomedicineBirthDiseaseFindingsAClinicians
2023
Ovarian Leydig Cell Tumor Associated with Recurrent Torsion and Virilization in an Adolescent Patient
Roth L, Smith A, Buza N, Coons B, Stitelman D, Vash-Margita A. Ovarian Leydig Cell Tumor Associated with Recurrent Torsion and Virilization in an Adolescent Patient. Journal Of Pediatric And Adolescent Gynecology 2023, 37: 217-219. PMID: 38110028, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2023.11.014.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPolycystic ovarian syndromeOvarian tumorsCell tumorsRecurrent ovarian torsionAbnormal uterine bleedingPost-menopausal womenLeydig cell tumorUterine bleedingOvarian syndromeOvarian torsionYounger patientsOvarian functionOvarian hilumAdolescent patientsNodular proliferationSecrete androgensTumor AssociatedRecurrent torsionPrimary amenorrheaCurrent recommendationsReinke crystalsTumorsLeydig cellsIncidence increasesVirilizationIn utero delivery of miRNA induces epigenetic alterations and corrects pulmonary pathology in congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Ullrich S, Yung N, Bauer-Pisani T, Maassel N, Guerra M, Freedman-Weiss M, Ahle S, Ricciardi A, Sauler M, Saltzman W, Piotrowski-Daspit A, Stitelman D. In utero delivery of miRNA induces epigenetic alterations and corrects pulmonary pathology in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids 2023, 32: 594-602. PMID: 37200861, PMCID: PMC10185702, DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.04.018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCongenital diaphragmatic herniaTGF-β pathwayDiaphragmatic herniaFetal ratsPulmonary vascular remodelingLung function resultsGestational day 18Pre-clinical modelsDifferent gestational timesCritical illnessPulmonary pathologyLung growthLung sizeRat modelFetal casesLung morphologyVascular remodelingMicroRNA-200bVein injectionFetal diseaseFirst breathDay 18Lung developmentGestational timeInvasive fashion
2022
Cholecystitis and Gallstone Disease
Maassel N, Stitelman D. Cholecystitis and Gallstone Disease. 2022, 837-841. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-07524-7_90.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchLow gallbladder ejection fractionLimited hospital stayMost surgical candidatesPediatric laparoscopic cholecystectomyAbsence of gallstonesGallbladder ejection fractionNuclear medicine scansTreatment of childrenBiliary colicBiliary dyskinesiaHospital stayComplicated cholecystitisSurgical candidatesEjection fractionGallstone diseaseLaparoscopic cholecystectomyMotility disordersBlood testsPhysical examinationChronic hemolytic diseaseHemolytic diseaseFocused historyPediatric specialistsObesity ratesCholecystitisPrenatal Somatic Cell Gene Therapies: Charting a Path Toward Clinical Applications (Proceedings of the CERSI‐FDA Meeting)
Herzeg A, Almeida‐Porada G, Charo RA, David AL, Gonzalez‐Velez J, Gupta N, Lapteva L, Lianoglou B, Peranteau W, Porada C, Sanders SJ, Sparks TN, Stitelman DH, Struble E, Sumner CJ, MacKenzie TC. Prenatal Somatic Cell Gene Therapies: Charting a Path Toward Clinical Applications (Proceedings of the CERSI‐FDA Meeting). The Journal Of Clinical Pharmacology 2022, 62: s36-s52. PMID: 36106778, PMCID: PMC9547535, DOI: 10.1002/jcph.2127.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSurface conjugation of antibodies improves nanoparticle uptake in bronchial epithelial cells
Luks VL, Mandl H, DiRito J, Barone C, Freedman-Weiss MR, Ricciardi AS, Tietjen GG, Egan ME, Saltzman WM, Stitelman DH. Surface conjugation of antibodies improves nanoparticle uptake in bronchial epithelial cells. PLOS ONE 2022, 17: e0266218. PMID: 35385514, PMCID: PMC8986008, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266218.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTarget-specific antibodiesNanoparticle uptakeSurface conjugationNanoparticle surface modificationSurface of nanoparticlesCellular uptakeSite-specific geneSpecific cellular bindingNanoparticlesIntracellular deliveryEditing reagentsBronchial epithelial cellsSurface modificationCellular targetingCystic fibrosisTherapeutic agentsEpithelial cellsParticle uptakeFeasible strategyGenetic diseasesFirst demonstrationHuman bronchial epithelial cellsKinetics of antibodiesCellular bindingAppropriate antibodiesIntra-amniotic Injection of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic Acid) Microparticles Loaded with Growth Factor: Effect on Tissue Coverage and Cellular Apoptosis in the Rat Model of Myelomeningocele.
Maassel NL, Wu DH, Yung NK, Bauer-Pisani T, Elizabeth Guerra M, Ullrich SJ, Mark Saltzman W, Stitelman DH. Intra-amniotic Injection of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic Acid) Microparticles Loaded with Growth Factor: Effect on Tissue Coverage and Cellular Apoptosis in the Rat Model of Myelomeningocele. Journal Of The American College Of Surgeons 2022, 234: 1010-1019. PMID: 35703790, DOI: 10.1097/xcs.0000000000000156.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSoft tissue coverageIntra-amniotic injectionFibroblast growth factorTissue coverageRat modelMMC defectsGrowth factorCellular apoptosisGestational day 17Spinal cord cellsSitu cell deathCell deathWild-type controlsHistologic evidenceTreatment optionsLifelong morbidityUtero treatmentNeurologic disordersRat damsCord cellsMyelomeningoceleDay 17Invasive platformIncidenceInjection
2021
Firework-related injuries treated at emergency departments in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018–2019
Maassel N, Saccary A, Solomon D, Stitelman D, Xu Y, Li F, Christison-Lagay E, Dodington J. Firework-related injuries treated at emergency departments in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018–2019. Injury Epidemiology 2021, 8: 65. PMID: 34758871, PMCID: PMC8579722, DOI: 10.1186/s40621-021-00358-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNational Electronic Injury Surveillance SystemFireworks-related injuriesEmergency departmentElectronic Injury Surveillance SystemNational estimatesConsumer Product Safety Commission dataInjury Surveillance SystemCOVID-19 pandemicStudy inclusionInjury informationInjuryMonthly injurySame time periodUS Census dataNational decreaseMonthsSurveillance systemConsumer fireworksUnited StatesProportional increaseYearsDepartmentPandemicResultsThereEpidemiology
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
David H. Stitelman, MD, says he considers it an honor to work to improve the lives and health of children. As a pediatric surgeon who treats children of all ages, Dr. Stitelman is often able to make an impact on a child’s life soon after he or she is born.
Dr. Stitelman is the surgical director of the Fetal Care Center, a joint program of Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. At the Fetal Care Center, a multidisciplinary team of pediatric specialists, obstetricians and neonatologists work with families whose child has been diagnosed before birth with a condition that requires treatment.
“We spend a great deal of time explaining to families the medical and surgical issues their child faces,” Dr. Stitelman says. “We want them to understand, and we follow our patients long term to assure they are thriving after they go home.”
Dr. Stitelman is also an assistant professor of pediatric surgery at Yale School of Medicine. His research is focused on prenatal therapy, with the hope of treating and curing genetic and structural diseases before a child is born.
Clinical Specialties
Pediatric Surgery
Fact Sheets
Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis
Learn More on Yale MedicineEsophageal Atresia
Learn More on Yale MedicinePediatric Cancer Surgery
Learn More on Yale MedicineHernia Repair Surgery
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Pediatric Surgery
- Certification Organization
- AB of Surgery
- Original Certification Date
- 2015
Surgery General
- Certification Organization
- AB of Surgery
- Original Certification Date
- 2012
News & Links
Media
- Green particles were injected into the amniotic space and can be appreciated binding to the exposed spinal cord in a pre-clinical rat model of spina bifida.
News
- July 23, 2024
Advancements in Women’s Health Research
- May 15, 2024
Educators in academic surgery on balancing education with other responsibilities
- May 15, 2024
Educators in academic surgery on giving and receiving feedback
- May 15, 2024
Educators in academic surgery on managing expectations for surgery clerkship