Background

David A. Munson, MD serves as the medical director for the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He also directs the Perinatal Palliative Care Initiative in the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP. Dr. Munson is involved in the Chronic Lung Disease Program, the Perinatal Nephrology Initiative, the Neosurgical team, and ECMO resource team.  He has a longstanding interest in vascular access for neonatal intensive care and is a part of the CHOP NICU bedside ultrasound program.

Dr. Munson has published on the topics of palliative care in the NICU and perinatal palliative care, and speaks locally and nationally on these topics. For research, he was a co-investigator on an RO1 investigating decision making by parents with children with serious illness.

Dr. Munson is actively engaged in teaching medical students through the Doctoring course at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and is directly involved in the clinical education of residents and fellows at CHOP.

Dr. Munson also has an interest in quality improvement and patient safety and is actively involved in a number of unit and hospital-based improvement initiatives.

Education and Training

Medical School

MD - University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Internship

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Fellowship

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Board Certification

Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Titles and Academic Titles

Attending Neonatologist

Medical Director, Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit

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

Departments and Services

Publications

Papers

2019

Jensen EA, Zhang H, Feng R, Dysart K, Nilan K, Munson DA, Kirpalani H. Individualising care in severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a series of N-of-1 trials comparing transpyloric and gastric feeding. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2019 Nov 4. pii: fetalneonatal-2019-317148. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-317148. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 31685527 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

O'Byrne ML, Millenson ME, Grady CB, Huang J, Bamat NA, Munson DA, Song L, Dori Y, Gillespie MJ, Rome JJ, Glatz AC. Trends in transcatheter and operative closure of patent ductus arteriosus in neonatal intensive care units: Analysis of data from the Pediatric Health Information Systems Database. Am Heart J. 2019 Aug 17;217:121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2019.08.009. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 31654942

2018

Drago MJ, Guillén U, Schiaratura M, Batza J, Zygmunt A, Mowes A, Munson D, Lorenz JM, Farkouh-Karoleski C, Kirpalani H. Constructing a Culturally Informed Spanish Decision-Aid to Counsel Latino Parents Facing Imminent Extreme Premature Delivery. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Mar 8. doi: 10.1007/s10995-018-2471-8. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 29520727

2017

James J, Munson D, DeMauro SB, Langer JC, Dworetz AR, Natarajan G, Bidegain M, Fortney CA, Seabrook R, Vohr BR, Tyson JE, Bell EF, Poindexter BB, Shankaran S, Higgins RD, Das A, Stoll BJ, Kirpalani H; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Outcomes of Preterm Infants following Discussions about Withdrawal or Withholding of Life Support. J Pediatr. 2017 Nov;190:118-123.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.05.056. [Epub ahead of print]

Cole JCM, Moldenhauer JS, Jones TR, Shaughnessy EA, Zarrin HE, Coursey AL, Munson DA. A proposed model for Perinatal Palliative Care. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2017 Jun 8. Pii: S0884-2175(17)30086-2. Doi: 10.1016/j/jogn.2017.01.014. [Epub ahead of print].

Cole, J, Moldenhauer, J, Jones, T, Shaughnessy, E, Coursey, A, Zarrin, H, Munson, D: A Multidisciplinary Perinatal Palliative Care Model. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2017 Nov - Dec;46(6):904-911. doi: 10.1016/j.jogn.2017.01.014. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

2015

Jensen EA, Munson DA, Zhang H, Blinman TA, Kirpalani H. Anti-gastroesophageal reflux surgery in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015;50(6):584-587.

2014

Jensen EA, Munson DA, Zhang H, Blinman TA, Kirpalani H. Anti-gastroesophageal reflux surgery in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2014 Apr 21. [Epub ahead of print]

2012

Guillén Ű, Suh S, Munson D, Posencheg M, Truitt E, Zupancic JA, Gafni A, Kirpalani H.: Development and pretesting of a decision-aid to use when counseling parents facing imminent extreme premature delivery. J Pediatr. 1603): 382-7, 2012.

2008

Feudtner C, Munson D, Morrison W. Framing permission for halting or continuing life-extending therapies. Virtual Mentor. 2008;10(8):506-510.

Williams C, Munson D, Zupancic J, Kirpalani H. Supporting bereaved parents: practical steps in providing compassionate perinatal and neonatal end-of-life care - A North American perspective. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2008 Oct;13(5):335-40. Epub 2008 May 12.

Books

Chapters

2012

Thiele, P and Munson D: A million little pieces: Parental and physician perspectives on Trisomy 18. Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine 5: 1-7, 2012.

2011

Munson D and Evans JR: Nosocomial Infection in the NICU. Avery’s Diseases of the Newborn 9th Edition. Gleason CA (eds). Elsevier Saunders, Philadelphia, 2011.

Munson D, Epelman M, Millar D, and Kirpalani H: Chapter 3: The Chest. Imaging of the Newborn. H. Kirpalani, M. Epelman and Jr. Mernagh (eds). Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Munson D, section editor: Section XVII Neonatal Medicine. Netter's Pediatrics. Florin and Ludwig (eds.). Elsevier 2011. 

2009

Keene S, Munson D. Chapter 10-Delivery Room.  Now what?  In: Shah S, Frank G, editors. Patient Encounters in Pediatrics, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.  2009.

Munson D, Feudtner C. The ethics of perinatal palliative care. In: Ravitsky V, Fiester A, Caplan AL, editors.  The Penn Center Guide to Bioethics. Springer: New York, 2009.

Awards and Honors

2013, Dean's Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

2012, Master Clinician Award, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in professional organizations

2004-present, American Academy of Pediatrics, Perinatal Pediatrics section

2008-present, American Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine