Danny Benjamin, MD, PhD, MPH
Affiliate Professor
Pediatric Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials
Research Interests
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 100 of the most commonly used medicines in children. These trials are conducted under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with guidance from the Food and Drug Administration for labeling. The Pediatric Trials Network has directly impacted the healthcare of over 90% of American children.
Signature programs of the Network include clinical trials in premature and term infants, breast feeding mothers, and obese children. Over the past 10 years, Danny’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.
Teaching Interests
Danny 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. Danny’s group has a clinical research summer program for MSU undergraduates and WWAMI students in Bozeman, Montana. The MSU/WWAMI program is linked to the Danny’s program at Duke that recruits and mentors ~30 students from across the country each academic year. He is the primary mentor for medical students, residents, subspecialty fellows, and junior faculty members. He has been the primary or secondary mentor for 10 faculty who have received career development awards and who have then gone on to establish their own independent research programs; six of whom are now Distinguished Professors.
Intellectual Contributions
Awards
Teaching, Local Recognition
Duke University Department of Pediatrics Outstanding Research Mentor, 2019
Duke University School of Medicine Faculty Mentor Award, 2019
Duke University Clinical Science Research Mentoring Award, 2013
Duke University Duke Clinical Research Institute RM Califf Mentorship Award, 2007.
Duke University Teaching Award for Resident Education Department of Pediatrics, 2003.
Duke University Department of Pediatrics Fellow Teaching Award, 1999.
University of Virginia Graduate Student Teaching Award, 1998.
University of Virginia School of Medicine Teaching Award, 1998.
University of Virginia Resident Teaching Award Department of Pediatrics, 1997.
Teaching and Mentorship, National Recognition (NIH grant awards)
2023—For mentorship and salary support for 8 junior faculty (7K12 HD113189)
2018—For mentorship and support for high school and college students (2R25 HD076476)
2017—For mentorship and provide salary support for 12 post-doctoral fellows (5T32 HD043029)
2013—For mentorship and support for high school and college students (2R25 HD076475)
2013—For mentorship in clinical research (5K24 HD058735)
2011—For mentorship and provide salary support for 10 post-doctoral fellows (5T32 GM086330)
2009—For mentorship in clinical research (5K24 HD058735)
Research Awards:
Elected Member, Association of American Physicians, 2023. (National medical honor society)
Ruth and A. Morris Williams Jr. Faculty Research Prize, Duke School of Medicine, 2012.
Elected Member, American Society Clinical Investigation, 2010. (National medical honor society)
Pediatric Infectious Disease Society: Young Investigator Award, 2006
Current Grants
HEAL KIDS (Knowledge, Innovation and Discovery Studies) Pain Program Resource and
Data Center
Research Co-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024
- 2030
Real-world Data Enables Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Drug Dosing in Critically
Ill Children
Research Advisor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029
Short-course ampicillin in preterm neonates to promote antimicrobial stewardship
Research Advisor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2029
Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) - NIAID
Inst. Training Prgm or CME Preceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2018 - 2029
NICHD Pediatric and Maternal Resource Center: Bridging Pharmacology and the Real World
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development · 2024 - 2028
National Career Development Program for Researchers in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology
Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes
of Health · 2024 - 2028
Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) - NHLBI
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
· 2018 - 2028
K-12 Continuum of Care Program
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by Treehouse Family Foundation · 2024 -
2027
HEAL Clinical Coordinating Resource Center for the Pain Management Effectiveness Research
Network
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022
- 2027
BPCA Innovative Trial Designs and Assay Developments in Pediatric Therapeutics
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development · 2023 - 2026
UNC-Duke Collaborative Clinical Pharmacology Postdoctoral Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CME Mentor · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel
Hill · 2016 - 2026
Pediatric Trials Network_ Task Order 1_ Core Function Activities
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute for Child Health &
Human Develo · 2018 - 2026
Duke-UNC Collaborative Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Postdoctoral Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CME Preceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health ·
2021 - 2026
Center for Innovative TRIals in ChilDrEN and AdulTs (TRIDENT)
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016
- 2025
Core Function Activities 2.0
Research Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024
- 2025
Completed Grants
Links
Duke Clinical Research Institute - Pediatrics
Duke Clinical Research Institute - Leadership
NIH Best Pharmaceutical Children’s Act – Pediatric Clinical Trials
Affiliations
Education
Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University
Resident, Pediatrics, University of Virginia
Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
M.P.H. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
M.D. University of Virginia