Overview
Dr. Kays is the medical director of the Center for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) at Johns Hopkins All Children’s and leads the first unit in the country exclusively dedicated to these patients. He also serves as director of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program and co-director of the Fetal Diagnosis/Treatment program. He joined the medical staff in 2016. Dr. Kays has more than two decades of clinical and research leadership in the treatment of CDH, a life-threatening birth defect that affects about one in every 3,000 pregnancies. His research has focused on defining the best treatment strategies for this challenging neonatal diagnosis and contributed to significant advances in care and outcomes. Dr. Kays was previously with UF Health and Shands Children’s Hospital for more than 20 years. He was also surgeon in chief, professor of surgery and chief of the division of pediatric surgery in the University of Florida College of Medicine, Department of Surgery, where he led the ECMO and congenital diaphragmatic hernia program for over 20 years. He is the author or coauthor of more than 60 peer-reviewed original science publications and speaks nationally and internationally on CDH care and outcomes. Dr. Kays earned his medical degree from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He completed a surgical residency at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, and then completed a pediatric surgery fellowship at Morgan-Stanley Children’s Hospital of Columbia University, New York. Dr. Kays is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Children’s Oncology Group. Videos Meet David Kays, M.D.
Dr. Kays is highly rated in 5 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Diaphragmatic Hernia, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, Hernia, Donnai-Barrow Syndrome, and Appendectomy.
His clinical research consists of co-authoring 20 peer reviewed articles. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years.
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- OTHER MEDICARE PART D
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- OTHER MEDICARE PART D
- EPO
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Locations
601 5th Street South, Suite 360, Suite 360, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
Clinical Research
Clinical research consists of overseeing clinical studies of patients undergoing new treatments and therapies, and publishing articles in peer reviewed medical journals. Providers who actively participate in clinical research are generally at the forefront of the fields and aware of the most up-to-date advances in treatments for their patients.
Johns Hopkins All Children's Outpatient Care, St. Petersburg
Dr. Smyth is chief of the pediatric neurosurgery division at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and director of the pediatric neurosurgery fellowship program. His specialties include pediatric neurosurgery, with sub-specialization in pediatric epilepsy surgery and craniofacial surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. In addition, Dr. Smyth is a professor of neurosurgery in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Before joining the Johns Hopkins All Children’s medical staff, Dr. Smyth was the Appoline Blair Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Smyth earned his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He completed a general surgery internship in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, Irvine. He then completed a residency in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California in San Francisco, where he was chief resident. Dr. Smyth completed a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Smyth is highly rated in 18 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Craniosynostosis, Syringomyelia, Chiari Malformation Type 1, Posterior Fossa Decompression, and Craniectomy.
Florida Hospital Physician Group Inc
Sharona Ross is a General Surgeon in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Ross is highly rated in 29 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Hiatal Hernia, Pancreatic Cancer, Pancreaticoduodenectomy, and Gallbladder Removal. Dr. Ross is currently accepting new patients.
Vic Velanovich is a General Surgeon in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Velanovich is highly rated in 16 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Hiatal Hernia, Achalasia, Hernia, Endoscopy, and Hernia Surgery. Dr. Velanovich is currently accepting new patients.
Areas of Expertise
MediFind evaluates expertise by pulling from factors such as number of articles a doctor has published in medical journals, participation in clinical trials, speaking at industry conferences, prescribing and referral patterns, and strength of connections with other experts in their field.
Learn more about MediFind’s expert tiers
- Distinguished
- Congenital Diaphragmatic HerniaDr. Kays isDistinguished. Learn about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.
- Diaphragmatic HerniaDr. Kays isDistinguished. Learn about Diaphragmatic Hernia.
- HerniaDr. Kays isDistinguished. Learn about Hernia.
- Advanced
- Donnai-Barrow SyndromeDr. Kays isAdvanced. Learn about Donnai-Barrow Syndrome.
- Fryns SyndromeDr. Kays isAdvanced. Learn about Fryns Syndrome.
- Experienced
- AppendectomyDr. Kays isExperienced. Learn about Appendectomy.
- Congenital Unilateral Pulmonary Hypoplasia