PolicyLab

David M. Rubin, M.D., M.S.C.E.

Co-Director

David Rubin is a co-director of PolicyLab at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and an associate professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  He is also a senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and an associate program director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. A general pediatrician by training, Dr. Rubin has focused his academic pursuits on health policy and practice for vulnerable populations. He is a past member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Task Force on Foster Care and their Committee for Early Education, Adoption & Dependent Care.

A past recipient of a career-development award from the National Institutes of Child Health & Development (NICHD) and the inaugural Stoneleigh Center Fellow, Dr. Rubin has focused many of his pursuits on behalf of children in the child welfare system, combining national policy-oriented analyses of children in foster care with local community-based research.  Such work includes a longitudinal study of well-being among children entering out-of-home care in Philadelphia (Children's Stability & Well-Being Study, CSAW) and the development of integrated interventions to support the behavioral health needs of these children.  More recent population-based research has included analyses of psychotropic medication use by Medicaid-enrolled children across the country, and an outcomes assessment of a prenatal home visitation program following statewide dissemination in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Rubin is a practicing primary care pediatrician at the Faculty Practice of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, and a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Pennsylvania.  He also completed a residency in pediatrics and fellowships in child maltreatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Rubin lives with his wife and three daughters in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Research Interests

Behavioral health
Child welfare
Family and parenting support

Contact Information

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Select Publications

Rubin D, Matone M, Huang Y-S, dosReis S, Feudtner C, Localio R. Interstate Variation in Trends of Psychotropic Medication Use among Medicaid-enrolled Children in Foster Care. Children and Youth Services Review.  Epub April 15, 2012.

Matone M, O’Reilly A, Luan X, Localio A, Rubin D. Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations for Injuries Among Infants and Children Following Statewide Implementation of a Home Visitation Model. Maternal and Child Health Journal. Online Epub December 2, 2011. DOI 10.1007/s10995-011-0921-7.

Rubin DM, O’Reilly ALR, Luan X, Dai D, Localio R, and Christian CW. Variation in Pregnancy Outcomes Following Statewide Implementation of a Prenatal Home Visitation Program. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Online Epub November 1, 2010. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.221

Rubin D, Noonan K. What do Romanian children living in orphanages manifesting repetitive 
behaviors and American children in foster care with abnormal cortisol levels have in common?: More thanyou would think. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2010;164:492-3.

Rubin DM, Feudtner C, Localio R, Mandell DS. State variation in psychotropic medication use by foster care children with autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics. 2009;124(2):e305-e312. Epub 2009 Jul 20.

Kresnicka LS, Rubin DM, Downes KJ, Lavelle JM, Hodinka RL, McGowan KL, Grundmeier R, Christian CW. Practice variation in screening for sexually transmitted infections with nucleic acid amplification tests during prepubertal sexual abuse evaluations. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2009;22(5):292-9. Epub 2009 Jul 2.

Wood JN, Christian CW, Adams CM, Rubin DM. Skeletal surveys in infants with isolated skull fractures.  Pediatrics. 2009;123(2):e247-52.

Mekonnen R, Noonan K, Rubin DM. Achieving better health care outcomes for children in foster care. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2009;56(2):405-15.

Rubin DM, Feudtner C, Localio R, Mandell DS. State variation in psychotropic medication use by foster care children with autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics. 2009;124(2):e305-e312. Epub 2009 Jul 20.

Rubin DM, Downes KJ, O'Reilly A, Mekonnen R, Luan X, Localio AR. The impact of kinship care on behavioral well-being for children in out-of-home care. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2008;162(6):550-6.

Rubin DM, O'Reilly A, Luan X, Localio AR. The impact of placement stability on behavioral problems for children in foster care. Pediatrics. 2007;119(2):336-44.

Friedlaender E, Rubin DM, Alpern E, Mandell DS, Christian CW, Alessandrini EA: Patterns of health service use that may identify young children at risk for maltreatment. Pediatrics 16(6): 1303-1308, 2005.

Rubin DM, Pati S, Luan X, Alessandrini EA. A sampling bias in identifying children in foster care using Medicaid data. Ambulatory Pediatrics. 2005;5(3):185-90.

Rubin DM, Alessandrini EA, Feudtner C, Localio AR, Hadley TR. Placement changes and emergency department visits in the first year of foster care. Pediatrics. 2004;114(3):e354-e360.

Rubin DM, Alessandrini EA, Feudtner C, Mandell DS, Localio AR, Hadley TR. Mental health costs and placement stability for children in foster care. Pediatrics. 2004;113(5):1336-41.

Lane WG, Rubin DM, Monteith R, Christian CW: Racial differences in the evaluation of pediatric fractures for physical abuse. JAMA 288(13): 1609-09, 2002.