Patricia DeRusso, MD, MS

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Patricia DeRusso, MD, MS, is a board certified pediatric gastroenterologist in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Vice President for CHOP's Medical Staff, and Chief Physician Affairs Officer at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Areas of Expertise: Liver disease, Nutritional disorders, Leadership, Education
Locations: Main Campus; Specialty Care, Market Street

Phone: 215-590-3630

Background

Patricia A. DeRusso, MD, MS, serves as Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. She is Vice President of the Medical Staff, Chief Physician Affairs Officer, and an attending physician in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology.  Dr. DeRusso graduated with her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine with Distinction. Dr. DeRusso completed her pediatric residency and a clinical fellowship program in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her research training as a Pediatric Scientist Development scholar was at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. She then served as faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for 10 years, managing medical care of pediatric inpatients and outpatients with liver and gastrointestinal diseases, and conducting multi-center research studies of children with liver disease funded by an NIH national consortium. In 2006 she joined Wyeth Pharmaceuticals as the Medical Director of Nutrition and then began serving as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Pfizer Nutrition. In 2012 she returned to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She became the Vice President of the Medical Staff in 2014 and Chief Physician Affairs Officer in 2019.

Education and Training

Medical School

MD - George Washington School of Medicine, Washington, DC

Internship

Pediatrics - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

Pediatrics - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Fellowship

Clinical Fellow and Adjunct Senior Fellow in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Research Fellow and National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Fellow - Pediatric Scientist Developm

Board Certification

Pediatric Gastroenterology
Pediatrics

Undergraduate Degree

BS in Nutrition - University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

Graduate Degree

MS in Nutrition - Boston University, Boston, MA

Titles and Academic Titles

Chief Physician Affairs Officer

Vice President, Medical Staff Affairs

Vice President of the Medical Staff

Executive Leader, Care Management Initiative

Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Conditions Treated

Departments and Services

Publications

Papers

2019

Roy SM, Fields DA, Mitchell JA, Hawkes CP, Kelly A, Wu GD, Derusso PA, Elovitz MA, Ford E, Grigo D, Zemel BS, McCormack SE: Body Mass Index is a Better Indicator of Body Composition than Weight for length at age 1 month. J Pediatr 204: 77-83, January 2019.

2017

Fiks AG, Gruver RS, Bishop-Gillard CT, Shults J, Virudachalam S, Suh AW, Gerds M, Kalra GK, DeRusso PA, Lieberman A, Weng D, Elovitz MA, Berkowitz RI, Power TJ: A Social Media Peer Group for Mothers to Prevent Obesity from infancy: The Grow2Gether Randomized Trial. Child Obesity May 2017 Notes: DOI: 10.1089/chi.2017.0042.

2015

Riley AW, Trbulsi J, Yao M, Bevans KB, DeRusso PA: Validation of a Parent Report Questionnaire: The Infant Gastrointestinal Symptom Questionnaire. Clinical Pediatrics 54(12): +167-1174, October 2015 Notes: DOI: 10.1177/0009922815574075

2014

Yao M, Lien EL, Fitzgerald M, Ramanujam K, Yuhas R, Northington R, Lebumfacil J, Wang L, DeRusso P: Effects of term infant formulas containing high sn-2 palmitate with and without oligofructose on stool composition, stool characteristics, and bifidogenicity: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 59(e31-e36 ): 279-422, September 2014.

Bailey LC, Forest CB, Zhang P, Richards TM, Livshits A, DeRusso PA: Association of antibiotics in infancy with early childhood obesity. JAMA Pediatrics 168(11): 1063-9, November 2014.

Abstracts

2017

Shaw KN, Tanner L, Keren R, Taylor A, DeRusso PA, St Geme JW 3rd: Maintenance of Certification Part 4: From Trial to Tribute. Journal of Pediatrics 185: 4-5, June 2017.

Books

Chapters

2001

DeRusso PA: Liver Disease in Childhood. American Liver Foundation. D.C. Chapter Newsletter Oct/Nov 2001.

1998

DeRusso PA: Iron Overload Conditions: Hereditary Hemochromatosis and Neonatal Iron Storage Disease. Clinical Pediatric Gastroenterology. Altschuler S and Liacouras C (eds.). Churchhill Livingstone, 1998.

Awards and Honors

2014, Community Health Leader, Healthy NewsWorks
2011, Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare
1994, Pediatric Scientist Development Program Award
1990, Jacobi Medical Society Award in Pediatrics
1990, Alpha Omega Alpha
1990, American Medical Women's Association
1990, Kane-King-Dodeck Obstetrical Honor Society
1990, Graduation with Distinction, George Washington University School of Medicine

Editorial and Academic Positions

Academic and institutional committees

2016-present, Frontier Program Oversight Committee, Lymphatic Intervention
2016, Search Committee, Chair of the Department of Radiology
2015-present, Patient and Family Experience Committee
2015-present, Medical Bylaws Committee, Chair
2015-present, Medical Ethics Committee
2015-present, International Medicine Steering Committee
2015-present, Medical Faculty Senate Steering Committee, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
2015-present, Data Safety and Monitoring Board
2015-present, Physician Leadership Program, Course Instructor
2015-2016, Search Committee, Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical
2014-present, Physician Leadership Program, Leader and Co-organizer
2014-present, Patient Safety Committee
2014-present, Graduate Medical Education Committee
2014-present, Continuing Medical Education Committee
2014-present, Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, Chair
2014-present, Peer Review Committee
2012-present, Nutrition Committee

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in professional organizations

International

1997-present, North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

National

2011-present, American Academy of Pediatrics
2008-present, American Society for Nutrition