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Daniel Kelly Benjamin, MD, PhD

Kiser-Arena Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of Pediatrics
Member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute
Campus mail: 7044 Duke Clinical Research Institute, 2400 Pratt St, Durham, NC 27710
Phone: (919) 668-7081

Dr. Danny Benjamin is the Principal Investigator and Chair of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Pediatric Trials Network. The Network is responsible for designing and leading clinical trials of off-patent medicines in children of all ages across all therapeutic areas. The team has established, or is actively studying, the correct dosing and safety of more than 50 of the most commonly used medicines in children. Each of these trials is conducted under an investigational new drug (IND) application with guidance from the Food and Drug Administration for labeling.

Signature programs of the Network include clinical trials in premature, term infants and most recently, obese children. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Benjamin’s group has enrolled more premature infants, at more sites, in more clinical trials of off-patent anti-infectives under an IND than all other academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies in the world, combined.

Dr. Benjamin is recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a premiere mentor and educator. His research program serves as a platform to train students and early career investigators. Dr. Benjamin’s group has a clinical research summer program for high school and college students targeting under-represented minority students, and he is the primary mentor for medical students, residents, subspecialty fellows (including two T32 programs sponsored by NIH for which he is PI), and multiple junior faculty.

Dr. Benjamin has published over 250 works with up to 7000 citations. 

Education and Training

  • Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatrics, Duke University, 1998 - 2001
  • Resident, Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, 1995 - 1998
  • Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2003
  • M.P.H., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2001
  • M.D., University of Virginia, 1995

Selected Grants and Awards

Publications

Drolet, Beth A., Felix Boakye-Agyeman, Barrie Harper, Kristen Holland, Andrew Lewandowski, Nicole Stefanko, Chiara Melloni, and Chiara Pediatric Trials Network Steering Committee (See Acknowledgments for a listing of committee members.). “Systemic timolol exposure following topical application to infantile hemangiomas.” J Am Acad Dermatol 82, no. 3 (March 2020): 733–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2019.02.029.

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Hornik, Christoph P., Amy A. Gelfand, Christina L. Szperka, Tara Pezzuto, Amanda Utevsky, Shirley Kessel, Susan McCune, John J. Alexander, Daniel K. Benjamin, and Michael Cohen-Wolkowiez. “Development of a Prospective Real-World Data Clinical Registry of Children and Adolescents With Migraine.” Headache 60, no. 2 (February 2020): 405–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13714.

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Puia-Dumitrescu, Mihai, Daniel K. Benjamin, P Brian Smith, Rachel G. Greenberg, Nada Abuzaid, Winsome Andrews, Kris Chellani, et al. “Impact of Gastrostomy Tube Placement on Short-Term Weight Gain in Hospitalized Premature Infants.” Jpen J Parenter Enteral Nutr 44, no. 2 (February 2020): 355–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpen.1539.

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Padula, Amy M., Catherine Monk, Patricia A. Brennan, Ann Borders, Emily S. Barrett, Cindy T. McEvoy, Sophie Foss, et al. “A review of maternal prenatal exposures to environmental chemicals and psychosocial stressors-implications for research on perinatal outcomes in the ECHO program.” J Perinatol 40, no. 1 (January 2020): 10–24. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-019-0510-y.

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Gonzalez, Daniel, Matthew M. Laughon, P Brian Smith, Shufan Ge, Namasivayam Ambalavanan, Andrew Atz, Gregory M. Sokol, et al. “Population pharmacokinetics of sildenafil in extremely premature infants.” Br J Clin Pharmacol 85, no. 12 (December 2019): 2824–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14111.

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Petraitis, Vidmantas, Ruta Petraitiene, Jessica M. Valdez, Vasilios Pyrgos, Martin J. Lizak, Brenda A. Klaunberg, Darius Kalasauskas, et al. “Amphotericin B Penetrates into the Central Nervous System Through Focal Disruption of the Blood Brain Barrier in Experimental Hematogenous Candida Meningoencephalitis.” Antimicrob Agents Chemother, October 7, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.01626-19.

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Thompson, Elizabeth J., Huali Wu, Chiara Melloni, Stephen Balevic, Janice E. Sullivan, Matthew Laughon, Kira M. Clark, et al. “Population Pharmacokinetics of Doxycycline in Children.” Antimicrob Agents Chemother, September 23, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.01508-19.

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Balevic, Stephen J., P Brian Smith, Daniela Testoni, Huali Wu, Kim L. R. Brouwer, Kanecia O. Zimmerman, Nazario D. Rivera-Chaparro, Daniel K. Benjamin, and Michael Cohen-Wolkowiez. “Cefazolin pharmacokinetics in premature infants.” J Perinatol 39, no. 9 (September 2019): 1213–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-019-0368-z.

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Puia-Dumitrescu, Mihai, P Brian Smith, Jian Zhao, Angela Soriano, Elizabeth H. Payne, Barrie Harper, Ellen Bendel-Stenzel, et al. “Dosing and Safety of Off-label Use of Caffeine Citrate in Premature Infants.” J Pediatr 211 (August 2019): 27-32.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.04.028.

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Zimmerman, Kanecia O., Daniel K. Benjamin, and Mara L. Becker. “Neonatal Therapeutics: Considerations for Dosing.” Am J Perinatol 36, no. S 02 (July 2019): S18–21. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1691772.

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