Duy T. Dao, MD, MPH
Areas of expertise: Minimally invasive surgery, Esophageal atresia, Tracheoesophageal fistula, Long-gap esophageal atresia repair, Surgical treatment of tracheomalacia, Complex and redo thoracic surgery, Surgical treatment of GERD, Neonatal Surgery
Locations: Main Building, Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care
About Duy T. Dao, MD, MPH
Dr. Duy Dao is an attending pediatric surgeon in the Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery and the Esophageal and Airway Treatment (EAT) Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He is also an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Dr. Dao earned his bachelor’s degree with Highest Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating as the top student in the College of Chemistry. He received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and his Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He completed his general surgery residency at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident and received awards for outstanding teaching and research. During his academic development time, he completed a research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Following residency, he trained in pediatric surgery at CHOP before joining its faculty.
Born in Vietnam, Dr. Dao immigrated to California during high school with limited English proficiency and, within two years, graduated as valedictorian of his class. As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, his volunteer work with the Asian immigrant community in San Francisco and HIV research at the Gladstone Institute sparked his passion for medicine. At Stanford, he discovered his love for surgery and the satisfaction of solving complex problems through precise, methodical operations. His subsequent training at leading academic centers strengthened his belief that pediatric surgery must be rigorous—because there is no greater responsibility than caring for a child.
As part of CHOP’s interdisciplinary EAT Program, Dr. Dao’s clinical practice focuses on the surgical management of infants and children with esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) and related complications, including esophageal stricture, severe gastroesophageal reflux, and tracheobronchomalacia. He is experienced in both open and minimally invasive techniques, offering individualized treatment strategies for these complex patients.
Dr. Dao is also an active clinical investigator with an extensive publication record. During his research fellowship at Harvard Medical School, he was a member of the Vascular Biology Program and recipient of the Harvard Longwood T32 Research Fellowship and NIH Loan Repayment Program award. His research has been recognized with numerous honors, including First Place at the Annual Harvard Surgery Research Day, Winner at Boston Children’s Hospital Folkman Research Day, and Best Basic Science Paper at the New England Surgical Society. At CHOP, Dr. Dao leads multiple clinical studies on esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF). His research focuses on the complex physiology of esophageal atresia and on developing interdisciplinary, data-driven approaches to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for affected patients and their families.
Titles
Attending Pediatric Surgeon
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Certifications
Pediatric Surgery – American Board of Surgery
Awards and Honors
2022, Outstanding Research Award for graduating chief resident in General Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center
2022, The H Leon Pachter Teaching Award for graduating chief resident in General Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center
Education & training
Undergraduate Degree
BS (Chemical Biology) - University of California, Berkeley, CA
Graduate Degree
MPH (Clinical Effectiveness) - Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Medical Degree
MD - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Internship
Intern in General Surgery, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
Residency
Resident in General Surgery, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
Fellowship
Fellow in Pediatric Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Research Fellow in Pediatric Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Publications
Publications
2023
Yu LJ, Anez-Bustillos L, Mitchell PD, Ko VH, Secor JD, Hurley AP, Dao DT, Fligor SC, Cho BS, Tsikis ST, Gura KM, Puder M. Incidence and development of cholestasis in surgical neonates receiving an intravenous mixed-oil lipid emulsion. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2023 Jan;47(1):30-40. PMID: 36308408.
Yu LJ, Ko VH, Tsikis ST, Dao DT, Secor JD, Pan A, Cho BS, Mitchell PD, Fligor SC, Kishikawa H, Puder M. Effects of systemic anticoagulation in a murine model of compensatory lung growth. Pediatr Res. 2023 Jun;93(7):1846-1855. PMID: 36195630.
Cho BS, Fligor SC, Fell GL, Secor JD, Tsikis ST, Pan A, Yu LJ, Ko VH, Dao DT, Anez-Bustillos L, Hirsch TI, Lund J, Rustan AC, Fraser DA, Gura KM, Puder M. A medium-chain fatty acid analogues prevents hepatosteatosis and decreases inflammatory lipid metabolites in a murine model of parenteral nutrition-induced hepatosteatosis. PLoS One. 2023 Dec;18(12):e0295244. PMID: 38039287.
2022
Tella JB, Dao DT, Alexander ME, Geva A, Vitali SH, Zalieckas JM, Mehta NM, McManus ML, Buchmiller TL, Mullen MP. Supraventricular tachycardia in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: prevalence, associations, and outcomes. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2022 Jul 1;23(7):e329-e337. PMID: 35353075.
Secor JD, Cho BS, Yu LJ, Pan A, Ko VH, Dao DT, Anez-Bustillos L, Fell GL, Fraser DA, Gura KM, Puder M. Structurally-engineered fatty acid 1024 (SEFA-1024) improves diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. Lipids. 2022 Jul;57(4-5):241-255. PMID: 35778847.
2021
Yu LJ, Ko VH, Dao DT, Secor JD, Pan A, Cho BS, Mitchell PD, Kishikawa H, Anez-Bustillos L, Bielenberg DR, Puder M. Investigation of the mechanisms of VEGF-mediated compensatory lung growth: The role of the VEGF heparin-binding domain. Sci Rep. 2021 Jun;11(1):11827. PMID: 34088930.
Dao DT, Burgos CM, Harting MT, Lally KP, Lally PA, Nguyen HAT, Wilson JM, Buchmiller TL. Surgical repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: Early repair improves survival. Ann Surg. 2021 Jul;274(1):186-194. PMID: 31425289.
2020
Dao DT, Kamran A, Wilson JM, Sheils CA, Kharasch VS, Mullen MP, Rice-Townsend SE, Zalieckas JM, Morash D, Studley M, Staffa SJ, Zurakowski D, Becker RE, Smithers CJ, Buchmiller TL. Longitudinal analysis of ventilation perfusion mismatch in congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors. J Pediatr. 2020 Apr;219:160-166. PMID: 31704054.
Dao DT, Anez-Bustillos L, Finkelstein AF, Mitchell PD, O’Loughlin AA, Fell GL, Baker MA, Potemkin AK, Gura KM, Puder M. Trends of INR and fecal excretion of vitamin K during cholestasis reversal: Implications in the treatment of neonates with intestinal failure associated liver disease. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2020 Jul;44(5):951-958. PMID: 31282035.
Akinsulire O, Perides G, Anez-Bustillos L, Cluette-Brown J, Nedder A, Pollack E, Singh P, Liu Y, Sanchez-Fernandez LL, Obregon E, Bicak E, Kiefer S, Yakah W, Gutierrez HV, Dao DT, Vurma M, Ehling S, Gordon D, DeMichele S, Freedman SD, Martin CR. Early enteral administration of a complex lipid emulsion supplement prevents postnatal deficits in docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acids and increases tissue accretion of lipophilic nutrients in preterm piglets. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2020 Jan;44(1):69-79. PMID: 31441521.
Dao DT, Hayden LP, Buchmiller TL, Kharasch VS, Kamran A, Smithers CJ, Rice-Townsend SE, Zalieckas JM, Becker RE, Morash D, Studley M, Wilson JM, Sheils CA. Longitudinal analysis of pulmonary function in survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. J Pediatr. 2020 Jan;216:158-164.e2. PMID: 31704056.
Abstracts (includes Posters and Scientific Presentations)
2022
Yu LJ, Anez-Bustillos L, Mitchell PD, Ko VH, Secor JD, Hurley AP, Dao DT, Fligor SC, Cho BS, Tsikis ST, Gura KM, Puder M. Incidence and development of cholestasis in surgical neonates receiving an intravenous mixed-oil lipid emulsion. Podium Presentation. American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Seattle, WA. March 2022.
2020
Ko V, Dao DT, Yu LJ, Li XR, Secor JD, Anez-Bustillos L, Cho BS, Pan A, Puder M. FG-4592 Treatment Enhances Pulmonary Growth, Development and Function. Poster Presentation. American Pediatric Surgical Association Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. May 2020.
Ko V, Dao DT, Yu LJ, Secor JD, Anez-Bustillos L, Cho BS, Pan A, Puder M. Heparin Impairs Pulmonary Function Following Unilateral Pneumonectomy. Poster Presentation. American Pediatric Surgical Association Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. May 2020.
Ko VH, Yu LJ, Dao DT, Secor JD, Pan A, Puder M. Non-Therapeutic, Low-Dose Unfractionated Heparin Administration Inhibits Pulmonary Growth and Development. Brief Report Presentation. New England Surgical Society Annual Conference. Virtual Conference. October 2020.
Yu LJ, Ko VH, Pan A, Secor JD, Dao DT, Anez-Bustillos L, Puder M. The effect of anticoagulation on pulmonary function and endothelial cell survival. Poster Presentation. New England Surgical Society Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. October 2020.
Ko VH, Yu LJ, Dao DT, Secor JD, Pan A, Puder M. Prophylactic, Low-Dose Unfractionated Heparin Administration Inhibits Pulmonary Growth and Development. Podium Presentation. American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. Virtual Conference. October 2020.
Yu LJ, Dao DT, Ko VH, Pan A, Cho BS, Anez-Bustillos L, Puder M. The Role of the VEGF Heparin-Binding Domain in Compensatory Lung Growth After Left Pneumonectomy. Quickshot Oral Presentation. 15th Annual Academic Surgical Congress. Orlando, FL. February 2020.
Anez-Bustillos L, Yu L, Ko V, Dao DT, Hurley AK, Gura KM, Puder M. Vitamin E Levels in Children Treated with an Intravenous Fish Oil Lipid Emulsion. Podium Presentation. American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Virtual Conference. March 2020.
Yu LJ, Ko VH, Dao DT, Pan A, Secor J, Li X, Cho BS, Anez-Bustillos L, Puder M. Investigation of a prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor in prevention of hyperoxic lung injury. Oral Presentation, Scientific Breakout Session. American Pediatric Surgical Association Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. May 2020.
Yu LJ, Ko VH, Dao DT, Pan A, Cho BS, Secor JD, Anez-Bustillos L, Puder M. The VEGF Heparin-Binding Domain is required for Accelerated Compensatory Lung Growth After Left Pneumonectomy. Poster Presentation. American Pediatric Surgical Association Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. May 2020.
Lectures by Invitation
2020
“Early left ventricular dysfunction and severe pulmonary hypertension predict adverse outcomes in “low-risk” congenital diaphragmatic hernia.” The International Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Symposium. Houston, TX.
“Longitudinal analysis of pulmonary function in survivors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia.” The International Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Symposium. Houston, TX.
“Longitudinal analysis of ventilation perfusion mismatch in congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors.” The International Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Symposium. Houston, TX.
“Supraventricular tachycardia in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes.” Critical Care Congress. Orlando, FL.