About

Susan E. Coffin, MD, MPH, is an Emeritus Professor and Chief of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is also a member of the Joseph Stokes Research Institute and an Associate Scholar at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Coffin serves as an Attending Physician at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is involved in various research initiatives related to pediatric infectious diseases, epidemiology, and healthcare-associated infections. Her work includes contributions to understanding antimicrobial resistance, infection prevention, and health disparities in pediatric populations. She has also held roles in clinical epidemiology, public health initiatives, and hospital epidemiology, emphasizing her focus on improving child health outcomes through research and clinical practice.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Virology
• Pediatrics
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• 425. The Utility of Paired Upper and Lower COVID-19 Sampling in Patients with Artificial Airways

  Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 2020 · 1 citations

  • Medicine
  • Internal medicine
  • Pediatrics

  Abstract Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends upper respiratory tract (URT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing as the initial diagnostic test for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Lower respiratory tract (LRT) testing for patients requiring mechanical ventilation is also recommended. The goal of this study was to evaluate concordance between paired URT and LRT specimens in children undergoing pre-admission/procedure screening or diagnostic testing. We hypothesized that < 10% of paired tests would have discordant results. Methods Single center cross-sectional study including children with artificial airways who had paired URT and LRT SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing between 4/1/2020 and 6/8/2020. URT specimens included nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs and aspirates. LRT specimens included tracheal aspirates and bronchoalveolar lavages. URT and LRT specimens were classified as paired if the two specimens were collected within 24 hours. Artificial airways included tracheostomies and endotracheal tubes. Tests were classified as diagnostic versus screening based on the indication selected in the order. Results 102 paired specimens were obtained during the study period. Fifty-nine were performed for screening and 43 were performed for diagnosis of suspected SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 94 specimens (92%) were concordant, including 89 negative from both sources and 5 positive from both sources. Eight specimens (8%) were discordant, all of which were positive from the URT and negative from the LRT (Figure 1). Among patients undergoing screening, 3 of 4 positive tests were discordant and among symptomatic patients, 5 of 9 positive tests were discordant. There were no instances of a positive LRT specimen with a negative URT specimen. Figure 1. Performance of upper and lower respiratory tract SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing in children with artificial airways Conclusion Overall, most paired samples from the URT and LRT yielded concordant results with no pairs positive from the LRT and negative from the URT. These data support the CDC recommendation that URT specimens are the preferred initial SARS-CoV-2 test, while LRT specimens should be collected only from mechanically ventilated with suspected SARS-CoV-2. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Acute Kidney Injury During Treatment with Intravenous Acyclovir for Suspected or Confirmed Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

  The Journal of Pediatrics · 2020 · 20 citations

  • Medicine
  • Virology
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HS020921

  NIH · $2.5M · 2017

• NIH Grant K08AI001367

  NIH · $478k · 2002

• NIH Grant R03HD055966

  NIH · $165k · 2010

Frequent coauthors

• Theoklis E. Zaoutis

  National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

  231 shared

• Julia Shaklee Sammons

  146 shared

• Jeffrey S. Gerber

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  128 shared

• Ebbing Lautenbach

  66 shared

• Kristen A. Feemster

  Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States)

  66 shared

• Michael Klompas

  Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

  64 shared

• Paul A. Offit

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  64 shared

• Richard L. Hodinka

  University of South Carolina

  61 shared

Labs

• Susan E. Coffin LabPI

Education

• MPH, Epidemiology

  Johns Hopkins University

  1992

• MD

  University of Vermont College of Medicine

  1987

Similar researchers at University of Pennsylvania

• John Q. Trojanowskih-296
• Craig B. Thompsonh-277
• Daniel J Raderh-236
• Carl H. Juneh-218
• M. Celeste Simonh-185