David Levin

Dr. David Levin’s clinical academic interests include paediatric neuroanesthesia, interventional and chronic pain, regional anesthesia, clinical outcomes research, and evidence-based policy. He is particularly interested in technological innovation and implementation, improved outcomes data collection and behavioral incentives in the operating room environment. Levin believes that investment in teaching is fundamental to the development and advancement of our field.

Levin is cross-appointed to the department of Urology and perform neonatal circumcision and ritual circumcision or Brit Milah (Bris) as a certified Mohel.

Levin's educational background includes an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Western University before pursuing medicine and a residency in anesthesia at the University of Toronto. He completed an M.Sc. in Health Policy, Planning and Financing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics before completing his fellowship in paediatric anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital through Harvard Medical School.

Research

As patients journey through the perioperative environment, they are subject to a battery of interventions and monitoring that produces a large amounts of important clinical information under relatively controlled conditions. The current capabilities to capture, store, and analyze this data makes this field ripe for research. Levin's research is aimed at utilizing data generated in the perioperative environment to answer important questions related to paediatric anesthesia in general, and more specifically neuroanesthesia / neurophysiology, and perioperative health services / resource utilization. He looks to use perioperative data to improve pediatric care.

Current research

• Cerebrovascular reactivity as a clinical indicator of neurologic vulnerability (Collaborator – Dr. Nomazulu Dlamini, SickKids)
• Influence of adenotonsillectomy on early child development (OHIP/ICES - EDI linkage
• High-frequency physiologic data to predict ICU trajectory after liver transplantation. (Collaborators – Dr. Peter Laussen, Dr. Asad Siddiqui, SickKids)
• Chapter editor for upcoming edition of ‘Smith's Anesthesia for Infants and Children’: History of Anesthesia (Collaborator – Dr. Mark Rockoff, Boston Children’s Hospital)
• Chapter editor for upcoming edition of ‘Neonatal Anesthesia’: Anaesthesia for the Neonate – Neurosurgery and Ophthalmology (Collaborator – Dr. Sol Soriano, Boston Children’s Hospital)

Education and experience

• 2008: BE.Sc., Mechanical Engineering with distinction, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
• 2012: MD, Doctor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2015: M.Sc., Health Policy, Planning and Financing with merit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and London School of Economics and Political Science, London UK.
• 2017: FRCPC, Anesthesia Residency, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2018: Clinical Fellow in Pediatric Anesthesiology, Research Fellow in Anesthesia, Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2019: Fellow in Paediatric Anesthesiology, Clinical Fellow in Anesthesia, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Achievements

• 2019: The Dr. Robert Creighton Award for Excellence in Resident Clinical, Department of Anesthesia, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Determined by residents for their favorite teacher for their rotation.
• 2018: Pediatric Neuroanesthesia Fellow Award, Department of Anesthesia, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. In honor of Mathew Punzak and his family, chosen from the fellowship cohort as the fellow with great aptitude and interest in pediatric neuroanesthesia.
• 2017: Detweiler Travelling Fellowship, Royal college of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. Awarder to support post-graduate training in pediatric anesthesia and Boston Children’s Hospital

1. Steinberg BE, Aoyama K, McVey M, et al. Efficacy and safety of decontamination for N95 respirator reuse: a systematic literature search and narrative synthesis [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 27]. Efficacité et sécurité de la décontamination visant la réutilisation des masques N95 : recherche de littérature systématique et synthèse narrative [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 27]. Can J Anaesth. 2020;10.1007/s12630-020-01770-w. doi:10.1007/s12630-020-01770-w
2. Levin DN, McClain CD, Stone SSD, Madsen JR, Soriano S. Anesthetic Management and Outcomes For MRI-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) For Seizure Focus in Pediatrics: A Single Centre Experience With 10 Consecutive Patients [published online ahead of print, 2020 May 23]. Paediatr Anaesth. 2020;10.1111/pan.13929. doi:10.1111/pan.13929
3. Eklund SE, Levin DN. Lung Isolation for Whole Lung Lavage in a Pediatric Patient With Atypical Airway Anatomy due to Short Stature: A Case Report. A A Pract. 2019;13(7):253-256. doi:10.1213/XAA.0000000000001044
4. Levin DN, Dulberg Z, Chan AW, Hare GM, Mazer CD, Hong A. A randomized-controlled trial of nabilone for the prevention of acute postoperative nausea and vomiting in elective surgery. Une étude randomisée contrôlée pour évaluer l’efficacité du nabilone pour la prévention des nausées et vomissements postopératoires aigus lors de chirurgie non urgente. Can J Anaesth. 2017;64(4):385-395. doi:10.1007/s12630-017-0814-3
5. Levin DN, Taras J, Taylor K. The cost effectiveness of transesophageal echocardiography for pediatric cardiac surgery: a systematic review. Paediatr Anaesth. 2016;26(7):682-693. doi:10.1111/pan.12920