Natalie L. Davis, MD, MMSc

Dr. Davis joined the University of Maryland team in August 2013. Originally from Michigan, she attended the University of Michigan as part of the Inteflex combined undergraduate and medical school program, earning her B.S. in Microbiology in 2001 followed by her M.D. in 2005. She completed her Pediatrics Residency at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in 2008 and served as Chief Resident from 2008-2009. She worked as a Pediatric Critical Care Transport Physician and Hospitalist at UCSF for one year then went on to do a fellowship in Neonatology as part of the Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Program at Boston Children's Hospital (2010-2013). During fellowship, Dr. Davis earned a Masters in Medical Science (MMSc) through the Scholars in Clinical Science Program at Harvard Medical School, graduating in 2013.

Dr. Davis' research interests are related to the effect of intermittent hypoxia on development and growth of preterm neonates as well as optimizing respiratory status at discharge. Her main areas of interest include:

• Car Seat Tolerance Screen (CSTS) - evaluating the utility of the CSTS to identify infants at risk for adverse cardiopulmonary events in the semi-upright car seat position.
• Intermittent hypoxia (IH) - looking at the effect of IH on growth and respiratory outcomes.
• Silent Aspiration - evaluating timing of feeding maturity and resolution of silent aspiration in former preterm infants.

Dr. Davis is involved in numerous studies related to discharge readiness for vulnerable preterm and low birth weight infants. She is the faculty advisor for the Child Passenger Safety Program at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital and is a consultant for numerous Child Passenger Saftey programs in the US and internationally. She is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research. She was named a "Top Doctor" in Neonatology by Baltimore Magazine on numerous occasions. She was named Director of Resident Research for the Department of Pediatrics in 2019 where she oversees the longitudinal research track. Dr. Davis became Associate Program Director (APD) of the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship in 2020, with a focus on  NICU fellowship research support. 

Neonatology, Car Seat Tolerance Screen, Intermittent Hypoxia

Viscardi RM, Terrin ML, Magder LS, Davis NL, Dulkerian SJ, Waites KB, Allen M, Ajayi-Akintade A, Ambalavanan N, Kaufman DA, Donohue P, Tuttle DJ, Weitkamp JH. Randomized trial of azithromycin to eradicate Ureaplasma respiratory colonization in preterm infants: 2-year outcomes. Pediatr Res. 2022 Jan;91(1):178-187. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01437-2. Epub 2021 Mar 3.PMID: 33658655 

Davis NL, Hoffman BD, Eichenwald EC. Variation in Car Seat Tolerance Screen Performance in Newborn Nurseries. 2020 Aug;146(2):e20193593. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-3593.

Aghion A, Hussey-Gardner B, Davis NL, Falck AJ. Patient and provider factors impacting referral for neonatal organ donation. Pediatr Transplant. 2020 Aug;24(5):e13744. doi: 10.1111/petr.13744. Epub 2020 Jun 1. PMID: 32478967

Viscardi RM, Terrin ML, Magder LS, Davis NL, et al. Randomised trial of azithromycin to eradicate Ureaplasma in preterm infants. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2020 Mar 13:fetalneonatal-2019-318122. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318122. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32170033

Davis NL, Cheo S. A National Survey of Car Seat Tolerance Screening Protocols in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. 2020 Academic Pediatrics. 2020 Feb 7. pii: S1876-2859(20)30058-9. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2020.02.004. [Epub ahead of print]

Magnarelli A, Shah N, Davis NL. Car Seat Tolerance Screening for Late Preterm Infants. Pediatrics. 2020 Jan;145(1). pii: e20191703. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-1703.

Davis NL, Akinmboni TO, Mooney SM. Quantifying Medication Exposure in Very Low Birth Weight Neonates. Am J Perinatol. 2019 Nov 4. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1697669. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 31683322

Davis NL. Commentary on “Oxygen desaturations in the early neonatal period predict development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.” Pediatric Research. 2019 Jun;85(7):927-928.

Davis NL, Shah N. Use of Car Beds for Infant Travel: A Review of the Literature. J Perinatol. 2018 Oct;38(10):1287-1294.

Sharma P, Davis NL. Post-Discharge Outcomes of Failed Car Seat Tolerance Screens: A Case-Control and Follow-Up Study. J Neonatal Perinatal Med. 2018;11(3):249-255.

Heffernan M, Donald E, Davis NL. Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening Does Not Predict Car Seat Tolerance Screen Outcomes. J Neonatal Nurs. 2018 April:24(2):100-103.

Davis NL, Donald E, Heffernan M, Corwell BN. Assessment of Anthropometric Measurements as Predictors of Car Seat Screening Failure. Am J Perinatol. 2017 Nov;34(13):1318-1325.

Hoffman SB, Terrell N, Driscoll CH, Davis NL. Impact of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Use on Neonatal Respiratory Support Patterns and Length of Stay. Respir Care. 2016 Oct;61(10):1299-304. doi: 10.4187/respcare.04668.

Pickering A, White R, Davis NL. Routine fecal occult blood testing does not predict necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight neonates. J Neonatal Perinatal Med. 2016 May 19;9(2):171-8. doi: 10.3233/NPM-16915120.

Davis NL. Car Seat Screening for Low Birth Weight Term Neonates. Pediatrics. 2015 Jul;136(1):89-96. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-3527

Davis NL. Screening for cardiopulmonary events in neonates: a review of the infant car seat challenge. J Perinatol. 2015 Apr;35(4):235-40. doi: 10.1038/jp.2015.1.

Davis NL, Gregory ML, Rhein L. Test Retest Reliability of the Infant Car Seat Challenge. J Perinatol. 2014 Jan;34(1):54-8. doi: 10.1038/jp.2013.118.

Davis NL, Liu A, Rhein L. Immaturity in Preterm Neonates: Risk Factors for Oropharyngeal Aspiration and Timing of Maturation. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2013 Dec;57(6):735-40. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182a9392d

Davis NL, Condon F, Rhein L. Epidemiology and Predictors of Failure of the Infant Car Seat Challenge. Pediatrics. 2013 May;131(5):951-957.

Davis NL, Zenchenko Y, Lever A, Rhein L. Car Seat Safety for Preterm Neonates: Implementation and Testing Parameters of the Infant Car Seat Challenge. Academic Pediatrics. 2013 May-June;13(3):272-277.