Experienced in Appendectomy
Experienced in Appendectomy
601 5th Street South, Suite 360, Suite 360, 
Saint Petersburg, FL 

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 rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in Appendectomy. 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. In particular, he has co-authored 2 articles in the study of Appendectomy.

Residency
University of Rochester Medical Center, General Surgery, 1990
Specialties
General Surgery
Licenses
Surgery in FL
Board Certifications
American Board Of Surgery
Fellowships
New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, Pediatric Surgery, 1992
Languages Spoken
English
Spanish
Gender
Male

Insurance

Accepted insurance can change. Please verify directly with the provider.

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Accepted insurance plans:

Aetna
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
AvMed
  • HMO
  • POS
Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
Cigna
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • PPO
Florida Blue
  • EPO
  • PPO
Health Options
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
Humana
  • HMO
  • INDEMNITY
  • POS
  • PPO
Medicare
  • INSURANCE PLAN
  • MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
  • MEDICARE MAPD
  • MEDICARE PDP
  • MEDICARE SNP
  • MEDICARE-MEDICAID PLAN
  • OTHER MEDICARE PART D
Simply Healthcare
  • MANAGED MEDICAID PLAN
  • MEDICARE MAPD
  • OTHER MEDICARE PART D
Sunshine Health
  • EPO
  • HMO
View 5 Less Insurance Carriers -

Locations

Johns Hopkins All Children's Outpatient Care, St. Petersburg
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.


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Distinguished in Appendectomy
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Distinguished in Appendectomy
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Johns Hopkins All Children's Outpatient Care, St. Petersburg

601 5th Street South, Suite 360, Suite 360, 
Saint Petersburg, FL 
 (0.7 miles away)
Languages Spoken:
English

Dr. Chandler is chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery and the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program Director at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. She joined the medical staff in 2008, became interim chief in 2020 and was named full-time chief in 2021. She also is an associate professor of Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Chandler’s clinical and research areas of interest are minimally invasive surgery including pectus excavatum, and pediatric cancer surgery. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Chandler was named Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital physician of the year in the 2017 Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Excellence Awards. Dr. Chandler earned her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, where she completed her general surgical residency. She completed a research fellowship in surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and was principal investigator for a grant that focused on overcoming chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer. She also completed a fellowship in pediatric surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, with training in laparoscopic and advanced miniature access surgery. Dr. Chandler is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Appendectomy. Her top areas of expertise are Appendicitis, Pectus Excavatum, Viral Gastroenteritis, Appendectomy, and Endoscopy.

Distinguished in Appendectomy
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Distinguished in Appendectomy
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Johns Hopkins All Children's Outpatient Care, St. Petersburg

601 5th Street South, Suite 360, Suite 360, 
Saint Petersburg, FL 
 (0.7 miles away)
Languages Spoken:
English

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 rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in Appendectomy. His top areas of expertise are Appendicitis, Pectus Excavatum, Omphalocele, Appendectomy, and Endoscopy.

Advanced in Appendectomy
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Advanced in Appendectomy
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12901 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Mdc 41, 
Tampa, FL 
 (24.6 miles away)
Languages Spoken:
English

Cristen Litz is a General Surgeon in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Litz is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in Appendectomy. Her top areas of expertise are Appendicitis, Pectus Excavatum, Omphalocele, Appendectomy, and Endoscopy.

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.

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