About

Matthew Davis is a faculty member in the Department of English at Northwestern University. He holds the position of Visiting Assistant Professor and teaches courses within the department. His office is located in University Hall 013, and he maintains office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 12:30, with additional appointments available. Further details about his research focus, background, and key contributions are not provided on the page.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Family medicine
• Environmental health
• Nursing
• Demography
• Psychiatry
• Virology

Selected publications

• Prenatal diagnosis mediates the relationship between disease complexity and intervention timing for congenital heart defects

  Pregnancy · 2025-04-07

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Introduction Previous studies comparing timing of postnatal intervention among patients with prenatal versus postnatal diagnosis of a congenital heart defect (CHD) have yielded conflicting results due to challenges in controlling for CHD complexity. The objective of this analysis is to take an alternative approach: to determine whether prenatal diagnosis mediates, or explains, the relationship between CHD complexity and age at intervention. Methods A retrospective cohort study including infants who received intervention for CHD at < 60 days of life, 2015–2021, at a high‐volume CHD surgical center. The exposure was CHD complexity (low, moderate, and high). The mediator was prenatal diagnosis (yes, no). The outcome was age at intervention (cardiac surgery or interventional catheterization, whichever came first) in days. Covariates included sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the pregnant individual and infant. Mediation analysis used linear probability regressions with a COVID‐19‐era fixed effect and robust standard errors. Results Of 429 infants, 28% had high‐, 63% had moderate‐, and 8% had low‐complexity CHD; 68% had a prenatal diagnosis. The median age at intervention was 6 (IQR 4–14) days. In adjusted models, prenatal diagnosis mediated 27%–29% of the association between CHD complexity and age at intervention (indirect effects: moderate complexity vs. low complexity: 3.7, 95%CI 1.4–6.1 days; high complexity vs. low complexity: 5.5, 95%CI 2.2–8.8 days). Conclusion Complex CHDs are intervened upon earlier, partly because they are likelier to be prenatally detected, than low‐complexity defects. Prenatal diagnosis plays a mechanistic role in improving access to care for infants with complex CHD.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Outcomes and Complications of 2‐Stage Versus 3‐Stage Paramedian Forehead Flaps

  Otolaryngology · 2025-03-10 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore outcomes among 2-stage paramedian forehead flaps (PFFs), 3-stage PFFs, and PFFs undergoing accelerated pedicle takedown. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review. SETTING: A tertiary care institution. METHODS: Patients who underwent PFFs for nasal defects between 2017 and 2022 were identified. Demographic, clinical, and surgical characteristics were compared among groups. Surgical and cosmetic outcomes and revision procedures were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 52 patients analyzed, 39 underwent 2-stage PFFs, and 13 underwent 3-stage PFFs. There were no significant differences in demographics, comorbidities, or surgical risk factors between groups. Three-stage PFF patients were more likely to have a cartilaginous defect. Postoperative dyspigmentation was seen more frequently in the 3-stage group; otherwise, there were no significant differences in outcomes. In a subanalysis of 29 patients requiring cartilage grafting, dyspigmentation was again seen more commonly in the 3-stage group; outcomes otherwise did not favor either group. Within the 2-stage group, 7 patients underwent accelerated pedicle takedown (≤21 days). No failures were seen with accelerated takedown, including among those who also received cartilage grafting. Overall, accelerated takedown was not associated with poorer surgical or cosmetic outcomes or an increased revision rate compared to standard takedown. Logistic regression did not identify any independent predictors of complication. CONCLUSION: Both 2- and 3-stage PFFs are effective tools in midface reconstruction, including when cartilage grafting is required. With 2-stage PFF, accelerated pedicle takedown is not associated with increased complications in appropriately selected patients.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Early insights into the seasonal and spatial distribution of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) along the Maine coastline

  Frontiers in Marine Science · 2025-03-03

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  While significant progress has been made to characterize life history patterns, movement ecology, and regional estimates of abundance of white sharks ( Carcharodon carcharias ) in the Western North Atlantic (WNA), patterns of spatial distribution remain relatively unknown in the northern Gulf of Maine. In this study, we utilize data collected from multiple acoustic telemetry projects from 2012-2023 to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of white sharks along sections of the Maine coastline and regional offshore waters. Acoustic receivers were deployed each year from 2012-2019 (mean number of receivers ± SD: 11 ± 4), and effort increased following the first-ever white shark related fatality in Maine in 2020 (2020-2023: 40 ± 15). In total, 107 white sharks tagged by researchers in the WNA were detected, with the majority (n = 90) detected in shallow (<50 m depth) waters post-2019. Reflective of the tagged population at-large, total length of individuals ranged from 2.1 to 4.9 m, with most individuals estimated to be in the juvenile or subadult life stages. White sharks were detected between the months of May-December, with peaks between July and September, and were observed in close proximity to several of Maine’s western beaches and islands/outcroppings, with higher numbers observed at several sites in eastern Casco Bay. Although the overall quantity of detections was relatively low when compared to white shark aggregation sites in other regions, this study provides baseline information on the presence of this species in the northern Gulf of Maine. While future research should include expanded receiver coverage in eastern Maine and the use of additional tagging technologies, this study contributes early insights for informing marine spatial planning, fisheries management, and conservation strategies for white sharks in the region.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abstract P1046: Positive and Adverse School Experiences and Cardiovascular Health (CVH) in the Young Hearts Study

  Circulation · 2025-03-11

  article

  Introduction: School environments play a crucial role in shaping the social and physical health of children, by promoting lifelong healthy habits. Therefore, we examined the association between harmful (peer-bullying) and positive (school connectedness) school-based experiences and behavioral CVH (bCVH) among children and adolescents. Methods: Data from 910 youth (14.9±1.9 years; 49.6% non-Hispanic White; 48% female) from the Young Hearts Study were analyzed. Self-reported experiences of peer bullying and school connectedness were measured via the School Experiences survey. Scores for bullying and school connectedness were derived by summing each of the four items pertaining to peer bullying and school connectedness, from their respective subdomain. A composite bCVH score was calculated by averaging scores for the four behavioral components of the American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 [LE8; diet, physical activity (PA), sleep, and nicotine exposure] as well as body mass index (BMI), each scored on a 0 (poor) to 100 (ideal) scale. Linear regression was used to measure associations between school experiences and bCVH adjusting for age, sex, race, household income, and health insurance status. Results: Mean scores (±SD; range 0-16) for peer bullying and school connectedness were 1.65±2.53 and 12.3±3.8, respectively. Mean scores for the four components of the LE8 and BMI were: diet (39.4±22.0), PA (70.8±39.9), sleep (74.5±28.7), nicotine exposure (92.6±19.7), and BMI (77.9±32.3). In fully adjusted models, 1-unit higher score of connectedness or bullying were associated with 0.45-unit higher and 0.82-unit lower bCVH scores, respectively. Among individual bCVH components, connectedness was most strongly associated with BMI [0.77 (95% CI, 0.13, 1.41)] and nicotine exposure scores [0.76 (0.39, 1.12)], while higher bullying was associated with lower diet [-1.27 (-1.86, -0.67)] and nicotine exposure [-0.8 (-1.33, -0.27)] scores (Figure 1). Conclusions: Optimizing the school environment to promote social connectedness and anti-bullying practices may be an important strategy in promoting CVH among adolescents.

  PublisherDOI

• Management of incontinence after classic bladder exstrophy closure

  Actas Urológicas Españolas (English Edition) · 2025-07-15

  review
  PublisherDOI

• Validation of 30-Day Pediatric Hospital Readmission Risk Prediction Models

  JAMA Network Open · 2025-02-13 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Importance: Accurate identification of hospital readmission risk during a current hospitalization may enhance decision-making, facilitate targeted systems-level interventions, and avoid preventable readmissions. Objective: To temporally and externally validate a suite of readmission risk prediction models across 48 children's hospitals to assess their generalizability and feasibility for future clinical implementation. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prognostic study analyzed data from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database, which contains billing and resource use data from 48 US children's hospitals, including the derivation hospital (DH) and 47 hospitals participating in the PHIS database (hereafter other PHIS hospitals). Children aged 18 years or younger discharged from these hospitals between January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019, were included. This cohort was divided as specified into the 3 prediction models at the DH: 6 months or older with no recent hospitalizations (new admission model [NAM]), 6 months or older with 1 or more prior hospitalizations within the last 6 months (recent admission model [RAM]), and 6 months or younger (young infant model [YIM]). Data were analyzed from August 9 to December 1, 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary validation outcome was hospital-level discrimination measured with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Predictors included demographic, clinical, and utilization variables. All-cause 30-day readmission was modeled for each hospital using logistic regression and parameter estimates from the DH. Calibration plots examined observed vs predicted outcome frequencies for each hospital. Results: In external validation, a total of 851 499 children were discharged from 48 hospitals (16 330 DH discharges and 835 169 other PHIS hospital discharges). The largest group of children was aged 5 to 14 years (281 193 [33.0%]). In temporal validation, the DH PHIS 2016-2018 cohort included 45 682 discharges. All-cause 30-day readmission rates were 7.2% for NAM, 35.5% for RAM, and 11.7% for YIM. The 2019 DH PHIS cohort included 16 330 discharges. All cause 30-day readmision rates were 7.2% for NAM, 35.1% for RAM, and 11.1% for YIM. Temporal validation demonstrated reduced discrimination across all 3 models (median AUROC, 0.65 [95% CI 0.62-0.67] for the NAM; 0.73 [95% CI 0.72-0.75) for RAM; 0.67 [95% CI 0.63-0.70) for the YIM compared with the original estimates (median AUROC 0.76 [95% CI 0.85-0.78] for the NAM; 0.84 [95% CI 0.83-0.84] for the RAM; 0.79 [95% CI 0.77-0.80] for the YIM). Overall readmission rates were 5.9% for NAM, 30.1% for RAM, and 7.6% for YIM. External validation yielded similiar findings as the temporal validation, although with demonstrable variation in performance across hospitals (median [range] AUROC, 0.64 [0.60-0.68] for the NAM; 0.73 [0.64-0.80] for the RAM; 0.65 [0.53-0.74] for the YIM). Most hospitals were poorly calibrated, with both significant overestimation and underestimation of observed risk. Of 47 other PHIS hospitals, only 3 for the RAM (6.4%) and 9 for both the NAM and YIM (19.1%) were adequately calibrated. Conclusions and Relevance: This prognostic study found that the readmission risk prediction models had reduced predictive accuracy across time and variability in hospital-level performance. These findings stress the importance of local validation prior to clinical implementation and suggest opportunities to improve generalizability, including multicenter derivation and expansion of candidate predictors.

  PublisherDOI

• Drivers of Bronchodilator Use in Bronchiolitis

  Pediatric Emergency Care · 2025-02-28 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate patient characteristics associated with bronchodilator (BD) use at various stages of bronchiolitis illness and evaluate corresponding patient outcomes in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional study involves secondary data analysis from a sample of 932 children ages 3 to 24 months who received a diagnosis of bronchiolitis during an ED visit (1057 cases). Predictor variables included demographics, past medical history, family history, physical findings, medication use, and disposition. Outcomes included BD use for bronchiolitis symptoms in the pre-ED and ED settings, and associated care outcomes in the ED. Predictors of BD use in the ED with statistical significance were incorporated in a predictive multivariable logistic regression model with a training-validation split of 70% to 30%. RESULTS: Children with prior BD use were significantly more likely than children without such history to receive BD treatment during their current bronchiolitis illness before the ED [odds ratio (OR): 23.7, 95% CI: 14.4-39], in the ED (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.76-3.77), and as a prescription upon discharge from the ED (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.49-5.58). In multivariable regression analyses, older age, parental asthma history, and wheezes and retractions on ED physical examination were significantly associated with BD use in the ED ( P <0.05). The area under the curve for the validation model with these variables was 0.826 (95% CI: 0.794-0.858). CONCLUSIONS: Prior BD use was associated with subsequent use during the current illness, during ED care, and subsequent prescription, forming a cyclical pattern. A perceived bronchospastic phenotype of bronchiolitis may influence clinical practice in ED settings.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Re: IFSO Consensus on Definitions and Clinical Practice Guidelines for Obesity Management—an International Delphi Study

  Obesity Surgery · 2025-10-03

  letter
  PublisherDOI

• Parent-Reported Impact of Super Rewards for Super Kids Program on Children's Symptoms During Difficult Medical Procedures

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Parent and youth worry about school shootings and connections with youth well-being and stress: A cross-sectional survey study

  Journal of Health Advocacy · 2025-09-15

  articleOpen access

  Background Rising rates of school shootings, firearm-related deaths, and gun sales in the U.S. have intensified the ongoing youth mental health crisis, contributing to widespread trauma and fear among young people. In cities like Chicago, where community gun violence is prevalent, youth face compounded mental health challenges shaped by both personal and collective exposure to violence. As a result, there is an urgent need to better understand how gun violence impacts youth mental health to inform effective public health and community-based interventions. Objectives This study aimed to assess worry about school shootings among Chicago parents and youth, and to better understand how a youth’s level of worry about a shooting happening at their school is associated with their well-being and stress level. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from October-November 2022 through the Voices of Child Health in Chicago (VOCHIC) Parent Panel Survey, which surveyed parents from all 77 neighborhoods in Chicago about their own and their child’s level of worry about a shooting occurring at the child’s school or daycare setting. Inclusion criteria included being ≥18 years old, living in Chicago, and being the parent/guardian of at least one child aged 0-17 years living in the same household. Parents with one or more children between the ages of 12-17 years were also asked about their child’s levels of well-being and stress. Results Surveys were completed by 1,129 Chicago parents. Two-thirds of parents reported being very/somewhat worried (67%) and 40% said their child was very/somewhat worried about a shooting happening at their child’s school or daycare. Means difference tests indicated that higher parent-reported child worry was associated with lower reported levels of youth well-being and higher reported levels of youth stress, even for children with relatively low parent-reported levels of worry. Conclusion In 2022, Chicago parents of school-aged children reported high levels of worry about a school shooting happening at their child’s school. Although worry among youth was reported by their parents as being lower than their own level of worry, any level of parent-reported youth worry about a school shooting was associated with worse reported emotional outcomes for the youth. Policy Implications Our results reveal that, based on parents’ perceptions, a child’s worry about a shooting happening at their own school or daycare takes a toll on their mental health. This finding highlights the urgent need for legislation and action to prevent school shootings to protect not only the physical health and safety of youth but also their mental health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant T32HD007534

  NIH · $3.7M · 2015

Frequent coauthors

• Sarah J. Clark

  Seattle Children's Hospital

  88 shared

• Stephen W. Patrick

  Emory University

  75 shared

• Alicia J. Cohen

  Brown University

  70 shared

• Renuka Tipirneni

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  69 shared

• Julie Tatko

  Northwestern University

  64 shared

• Elena Byhoff

  University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

  64 shared

• Mary C. Hamati

  University of Colorado Denver

  64 shared

• Gary L. Freed

  49 shared

Education

• MAPP

  University of Chicago

  2000

• MD

  Harvard Medical School

  1994

Awards & honors

• Robert Mayo Memorial Prize for Best English 300 Paper
• Robert Dentler Memorial Prizes
• Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize from The American Academy of Po…
• J. Scott Clark Award for Outstanding Aptitude in Creative Wr…
• Helen G. Scott Prizes