Positions

Faculty

Department of Surgery
Pediatric Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine

Addresses

Texas Children's Hospital (Clinic)

Mark A. Wallace Tower
6701 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (832) 822-3135
Pediatric Surgery

Education

Residency from Hospital for Sick Children

01/1980 - Toronto, Ontario Canada

M.D. from Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

01/1973 - Toronto, Ontario Canada

Research Fellowship from Harvard University

01/1981 - Cambridge, Massachusetts United States

Certifications

Board Certified - General Surgery

American Board of Surgery

Board Certified - Pediatric Surgery

American Board of Surgery

Board Certified - General Surgery

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Board Certified - Pediatric Surgery

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Honors & Awards

Best Doctors in America

2011

Texas Super Doctors

2006

2000 Millennium Commitment Award

American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma

Master Clinician Award for Excellence in Patient Care

Baylor College of Medicine

Michael E. DeBakey Distinguished Service Award

Baylor College of Medicine

Professional Interests

• Pediatric trauma care
• Minimally invasive thoracic and abdominal surgery.
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Hirschsprung’s disease
• Biliary atresia
• Thyroid diseases

Professional Statement

Dr. David E. Wesson is a strong believer in patient and family sensory care based on the best available evidence and more than 30 years of clinical practice experience. He also believes in full honest and open communication with the patient's family's and referring doctors. His practice includes minimally invasive thoracic and abdominal surgery. He has a strong interest and considerable experience in treating inflammatory bowel disease, Hirschsprung’s disease, biliary atresia, and thyroid diseases in children. Dr. Wesson has been interested in research relating to pediatric trauma and pediatric injury prevention for over 30 years. For example, he participated in some of the earliest definitive studies on the non-operative treatment of solid organ injuries in children. This research helped to define the indications for operation in children with splenic trauma. This approach was very controversial when first described but it has since become the standard of care for children around the world, and more recently in all age groups. Dr. Wesson’s interest in pediatric injury prevention grew out of his experience in pediatric trauma care. This led to his research in the promotion of bike helmet use and the subsequent impact on the incidence of fatal bicycling injuries in a defined population of children. Dr. Wesson also played a role in the development of the trauma system in the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario, Canada. His research into the incidence of preventable trauma deaths among children in Ontario documented a significant overall reduction in the incidence of fatal injuries and in the proportion of preventable deaths over the period from the late 1980’s to the early 2000’s. His research supported the hypothesis that these improvements were attributable to improvements in the system of care. Dr. Wesson has a variety of other research interests particularly in gastrointestinal disorders in children. He published one of the earliest studies of the results of restorative proctocolectomy in children with ulcerative colitis and familial polyposis. He also has a strong interest in the treatment of biliary atresia and enters all of his patients with this disease into NIH funded studies of this problem by the Biliary Atresia Research Consortium (BARC).

Websites

Videos

Selected Publications

• Wesson D, Spence L, Hu X, Parkin P "Trends in bicycling-related head injuries in children after implementation of a community-based bike helmet campaign.." J. Pediatr. Surg..2000/May;35(5):688-9. Pubmed PMID: 10813324
• Macarthur C, Hu X, Wesson DE, Parkin PC "Risk factors for severe injuries associated with falls from playground equipment.." Accid Anal Prev.2000/May;32(3):377-82. Pubmed PMID: 10776854
• Cass DL, Brandt ML, Patel DL, Nuchtern JG, Minifee PK, Wesson DE "Peritoneal drainage as definitive treatment for neonates with isolated intestinal perforation.." J. Pediatr. Surg..2000/November;35(11):1531-6. Pubmed PMID: 11083416
• Dilley A, Wesson D, Munden M, Hicks J, Brandt M, Minifee P, Nuchtern J "The impact of ultrasound examinations on the management of children with suspected appendicitis: a 3-year analysis.." J. Pediatr. Surg..2001/February;36(2):303-8. Pubmed PMID: 11172421

Memberships

American College of Surgeons

Fellow

American Academy of Pediatrics

Fellow

American Pediatric Surgical Association

American Surgical Association

American Association for the Surgery of Trauma

Society of University Surgeons

Texas Surgical Society