Professor of Pediatrics, Biostatistics and Neurology; Attending Physician, Division of Hematology-Oncology; Unit Leader Patient Oriented Research

• Hematology and Oncology
• Genetics and Genomic Medicine
• Patient Oriented Research

Dr. DeBaun is an attending physician in Hematology/Oncology and General Pediatrics and is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology. He is considered an expert in sickle cell disease and genetic cancer predisposition syndromes.

Dr. DeBaun is director of the Sickle Cell Medical Treatment and Education Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The Center is a regional referral center for children with sickle cell disease and provides multi-disciplinary medical care and education to more than 350 children and their families. Dr. DeBaun is nationally recognized for his research on treatment and management of overt and silent strokes in sickle cell disease.

Dr. DeBaun's other research area is the genetic epidemiology of overgrowth cancer predisposition syndromes, namely Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), Simpson Golabi Behmel Syndrome (SGBS) and Idiopathic Hemihypertrophy (IH). Dr. DeBaun and his colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital have established an Overgrowth Center of Excellence focused on better defining the natural history and biological basis of malformation and cancer in these overgrowth syndromes. The Overgrowth Center has established International Registries for BWS, SGBS, and IH. The Registries include an epidemiologic database and biologic repository for ongoing clinical and molecular investigation, as well as an annual multi-disciplinary clinic where children with each syndrome are evaluated by a team of specialists.

Dr. DeBaun is the program director of the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program, which is a part of the Medical Research Program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Doris Duke fellowship at Washington University provides medical students the opportunity to perform clinical research for at least one year under the guidance of a facility mentor and advisory committee. It includes a stipend, health insurance, travel allowance, book allowance, written and oral defense of thesis (for Washington University medical students only), attendance at the annual fellowship meeting, and modest support for the fellow's mentor.

Education

• B.S., Howard University, 1982 (Chemistry)
• M.S., Stanford University, 1987 (Health Services Research)
• M.D., Stanford University, 1987
• M.P.H., The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 1993 (Epidemiology)

Training

• Pediatric Resident, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, 1987-1990
• Pediatric Chief Resident, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, 1991-1992
• Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellow, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, 1990-1993
• United States Public Health Service Epidemiology Fellowship, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., 1992-1996

Licensure and Board Certification

• Missouri License, 1991
• American Board of Pediatrics, 1992
• American Board of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, 1994

Honors

• Phi Beta Kappa, Howard University
• Robert Wood Johnson Minority Faculty Development Award, 1996-2000
• Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Award, 1999-2004
• National Diversity Outreach Award, American Red Cross, 2001

Selected Publications

Sickle Cell Disease

1. Boyd JH, Macklin EA, Strunk RC, DeBaun MR: Asthma is associated with acute chest syndrome and pain in children with sickle cell anemia. Blood, E pub May 2006.

2. Glassberg J, Spivey J, Strunk RC, DeBaun MR: Painful Episodes in Children with Sickle Cell Disease and Asthma are Temporally Associated with Respiratory Symptoms. J Ped Hematol Oncol 2006;28(8):481-485.

3. Price CL, Boyd JH, Watkins AR, Fleming F DeBaun MR: Mailing of a sickle cell disease educational packet increases blood donors within an African American community. Transfusion, 2006;46(8):1388-93.

4. Scothorn DJ, Price C, Schwartz D, Terrill C, Buchanan GR, Shurney W, Sarniak I, Fallon R, Chu JY, Pegelow C, Wang W, Casella J, Resar L, Berman B, Adamkiewicz T, Hsu LL, Ohene-Frempong K, Smith-Whitley K, Mahoney D, Scott JP, Woods G, Watanabe M, DeBaun MR: Risk of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell disease receiving blood transfusion therapy for at least five years following initial stroke. J Pediatrics 2002; 140:348-354.

5. Schatz J, White DA, Moinuddin A, Armstrong M, DeBaun MR: Lesion burden and cognitive morbidity in children with sickle cell disease. J Child Neurol 2002; 17:891-895.

6. Yerys BE, White DA, Salorio CF, McKinstry R, Moinuddin A, DeBaun MR: Memory strategy training in children with cerebral infarcts related to sickle cell disease. J Pediatric Hematol Oncol 2003; 25(6):495-498.

Cancer Predisposition Syndromes

1. Niemitz EL, Feinberg AP, DeBaun MR: Association of in vitro fertilization with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome and epigenetic alterations of LIT1 and H19. Am J Human Genet, 2003;72(1):156-160.

2. Martin RA, Grange DK, Zehnbauer B, DeBaun MR: LIT1 and H19 methylation defects in isolated hemihyperplasia. Am J Human Genet, 2005;13;134(2):129-131.

3. Niemitz EL, Feinberg, AP, Brandenburg SA, Grundy PE, DeBaun MR: Children with Isolated Hemihypertrophy and Beckwith Wiedemann Sydrome have Different Constitutional Eipgenotypes Associated with Wilms Tumor. Am J Human Genet, 2005;77(5):887-91.

4. DeBaun MR, Niemitz EL, McNeil ED, Brandenburg SA, Lee MP, Feinberg AP: Epigenetic alterations of H19 and LIT1 distinguish Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome patients with cancer and birth defects. Am J Human Genet 2002; 70(3):604-611.

5. McNeil DE, Langer JC, Choyke P, DeBaun MR: Feasibility of partial nephrectomy for Wilms Tumor in children with Beckwith Wiedemann Syndrome who have been screened with abdominal ultrasonography. J Pediatr Surg 2002; 37:57-60.

6. DeBaun MR, Niemitz EL, Feinberg AP: Association of in vitro fertilization with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome and epigenetic alterations of LIT1 and H19. Am J Human Genet 2003; 72(1):156-160.

7. Clericuzio CL, Chen E, McNeil DE, O'Connor T, Zackai EH, Medne L, Tomlinson G, DeBaun MR: Serum &945;-fetoprotein screening for hepatoblastoma in children with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome or isolated hemihyperplasia. J Pediatr 2003; 143:270-272.