
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 clinical expertise encompasses Diaphragmatic Hernia, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, Hernia, Donnai-Barrow Syndrome, and Appendectomy.
Dr. Kays is board certified in General Surgery. He is actively involved in clinical research, co-authoring 19 peer reviewed articles.
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Locations
601 Fifth St S C605, St 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.
JHACH Pediatric Surgery
Dr. Smithers is an associate professor of surgery and director of the Esophageal and Airway Treatment (EAT) Program in the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital since 2019. He was honored for Innovations in Clinical Care at the Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards for 2020. As a leader in both innovation and expertise for pediatric thoracic surgery, he and his team see patients from all over the United States and internationally. The team also makes several invited trips per year around the country and world for lectures and conferences, in addition to helping patients and teaching other surgical teams regarding complex esophageal and airway surgical techniques in the operating room. Dr. Smithers previously served as assistant professor of surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital from 2009-2019, as part of their groundbreaking EAT program. His clinical specialties are congenital and acquired conditions of the esophagus and airway, vascular rings, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), surgical critical care, and minimally invasive surgery. He earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College and completed his residency in general surgery at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. He served as fellow in pediatric surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital after completing a research fellowship and a surgical critical care fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. He also completed a global surgery clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Videos Meet Jason Smithers, M.D. What is esophageal stricture and how is it treated? What is tracheomalacia and how is it treated? What is recurrent tracheoesophageal fistula (rTEF) and how is it treated? What is long gap esophageal atresia and how is it treated?. Dr. Smithers is highly rated in 9 conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Esophageal Atresia, Tracheoesophageal Fistula, Diaphragmatic Hernia, Gastrostomy, and Endoscopy. Dr. Smithers is board certified in General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care.
JHACH Pediatric Surgery
Dr. Danielson is associate dean of clinical affairs at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Dr. Danielson also began serving as president of All Children’s Specialty Physicians (ACSP) in 2023, first on an interim basis and then permanently. A clinical professor of surgery, he has chaired the Johns Hopkins All Children's Department of Surgery since 2020 and was interim chair from 2018 to 2020. He specializes in general surgery and was an early adopter of minimally invasive surgical techniques, developing expertise in treating chest wall deformities. Dr. Danielson founded the first fellowship sponsored by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in pediatric surgery and was also instrumental in bringing the National Quality Improvement in Surgery Program to the institution. He was named Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital physician of the year in the 2015 Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards. He joined the hospital staff in 2008. He retired as a colonel from the U.S. Army Reserve in 2017 after serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Danielson earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester where he also completed the residency program in general surgery through Strong Memorial Hospital. He completed a research fellowship in pediatric surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University and a clinical fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Before joining Johns Hopkins All Children’s, he served as director of pediatric surgical oncology at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Danielson is highly rated in 6 conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Appendicitis, Pectus Excavatum, Omphalocele, Appendectomy, and Endoscopy. Dr. Danielson is board certified in American Board Of Surgery.
Florida Pediatric Ophthalmology And Strabismus
David Morrison is a Pediatrics specialist and an Ophthalmologist practicing medicine in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Morrison is highly rated in 17 conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Strabismus, Brown Syndrome, Esotropia, Cataract Removal, and Tenotomy. Dr. Morrison is board certified in AB Ophthalmology - Ophthalmology.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. David W. Kays
How do I make an appointment with Dr. David W. Kays?
You can book an appointment with Dr. David W. Kays by calling their office at 727-767-4170. MediFind provides direct contact information so you can schedule visits, second opinions, or consultations without navigating third-party calendars.
Is Dr. David W. Kays a top-rated expert for Diaphragmatic Hernia?
MediFind is an objective health platform that identifies experts based on real-world data. Dr. David W. Kays is classified as an Distinguished expert for Diaphragmatic Hernia, meaning they are among the top experts in the country for this condition. This ranking is based on their volume of patients, published research, and peer connections.
What conditions does Dr. David W. Kays specialize in?
While Dr. David W. Kays is a Pediatric Surgery, they have specific expertise in Diaphragmatic Hernia, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, and Hernia. MediFind analyzes a doctor's articles and referral patterns to identify their specific areas of focus within Pediatric Surgery.
Does Dr. David W. Kays participate in research or clinical trials?
Yes. Dr. David W. Kays has published 19 articles and abstracts on conditions like Diaphragmatic Hernia. You can view a list of Dr. David W. Kays's latest peer-reviewed publications and clinical trial participation on their profile to see if they are active in new treatments.
Does Dr. David W. Kays accept my insurance?
Dr. David W. Kays accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna and AvMed. We recommend calling the office directly at 727-767-4170 to verify that your specific plan is currently accepted before your visit.
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.
- Advanced
- Donnai-Barrow SyndromeDr. Kays isAdvanced. Learn about Donnai-Barrow Syndrome.
- Fryns SyndromeDr. Kays isAdvanced. Learn about Fryns Syndrome.
- HerniaDr. Kays isAdvanced. Learn about Hernia.
- Experienced
- AppendectomyDr. Kays isExperienced. Learn about Appendectomy.
- Congenital Unilateral Pulmonary Hypoplasia


