Caroline Stephens, MD, MPH
RESIDENT PHYSICIAN
Surgery
School of Medicine

Dr. Stephens has a strong interest in strengthening health systems to address disparities in pediatric surgical emergencies and trauma at home and abroad. She has worked with collaborators in Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management and the Pediatric Pandemic Network. She also collaborates with surgeons in Uganda to improve systems for triage, resuscitation, and referral of pediatric patients with surgical emergencies and victims of trauma. She has completed research fellowships with the Center for Health Equity in Surgery & Anesthesia (CHESA) and as the trauma and emergency management research fellow at Benioff Children's Hospital of Oakland.

• Children's surgery and the emergency, critical, and operative care resolution: immediate actions to eliminate disparities in surgical anesthesia and perioperative care for all children.
  Pediatric surgery international 2024 Stephens CQ, Butler MW, Samad L, Seyi-Olajide JO, Evans FM, Gathuya Z, McLeod E, Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery
• Extreme Weather Injuries and Fatalities, 2006 to 2021.
  JAMA network open 2024 Stephens CQ, Newton C, Kappy B, Melhado CG, Fallat ME
• Promoting Female Surgeons Through Structured Award Nominations.
  Annals of surgery 2024 Trang K, Stephens CQ, Flanagan C, Yap A, Brown A, Kelly Y, Yeo HL, Sosa JA, Kornblith LZ, Varma MG
• Changes in Emergency Department Pediatric Readiness and Mortality.
  JAMA network open 2024 Newgard CD, Rakshe S, Salvi A, Lin A, Cook JNB, Gausche-Hill M, Kuppermann N, Goldhaber-Fiebert JD, Burd RS, Malveau S, Jenkins PC, Stephens CQ, Glass NE, Hewes H, Mann NC, Ames SG, Fallat M, Jensen …
• Treatment abandonment in children with Wilms tumor at a national referral hospital in Uganda.
  Pediatric surgery international 2024 Nanteza S, Yap A, Stephens CQ, Kambagu JB, Kisa P, Kakembo N, Fadil G, Nimanya SA, Okello I, Naluyimbazi R, Mbwali F, Kayima P, Ssewanyana Y, Grabski D, Naik-Mathuria B, Langer M, Ozgediz D, Sekabira …
• Children's surgery and the emergency, critical, and operative care resolution: Immediate actions to eliminate disparities in surgery, anesthesia, and perioperative care for all children.
  Paediatric anaesthesia 2024 Stephens CQ, Butler MW, Samad L, Seyi-Olajide JO, Evans FM, Gathuya Z, McLeod E, Global Initiative for Children's Surgery
• Evaluating Health Literacy in Families of Injured Children: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study at a Level One Pediatric Trauma Center.
  Journal of pediatric surgery 2024 Melhado C, Kao E, Evans L, Stephens CQ, Lee H, Jensen AR
• Efforts to improve outcomes among neonates with complex intestinal atresia: a single-center low-income country experience.
  Pediatric surgery international 2024 Okello I, Stephens CQ, Kakembo N, Kisa P, Nimanya S, Yap A, Wesonga AS, Naluyimbazi R, Kayima P, Ssewanyana Y, Ozgediz D, Sekabira J
• Factors associated with trauma recidivism in young children.
  The journal of trauma and acute care surgery 2024 Stephens CQ, Melhado CG, Shui AM, Yap A, Moses W, Jensen AR, Newton C
• Pediatric Emergency Surgery Course in Uganda: Long-Term Follow-Up and Insights From Further Dissemination.
  The Journal of surgical research 2024 Klazura G, Stephens C, Musinguzi E, Mugarura R, Nyonyintono J, Laverde R, Nimanya S, Situma M, Bua E, Yap A, Sims T, Ozgediz D, Kisa P
• Setting an agenda for a national pediatric trauma system: Operationalization of the Pediatric Trauma State Assessment Score.
  The journal of trauma and acute care surgery 2023 Stephens CQ, Fallat ME
• The Pediatric Emergency Surgery Course: Impact on Provider Practice in Rural Uganda.
  Journal of pediatric surgery 2023 Klazura G, Situma M, Musinguzi E, Mugarura R, Nyonyintono J, Yap A, Stephens CQ, Ullrich S, Kakembo N, Sekabira J, Ssemeju A, Bwesigye M, Muzaki D, Sims T, Proscovia N, Mbambu J, Kwikiriza D, Arinda F…
• Association of Transport Time, Proximity, and Emergency Department Pediatric Readiness With Pediatric Survival at US Trauma Centers.
  JAMA surgery 2023 Glass NE, Salvi A, Wei R, Lin A, Malveau S, Cook JNB, Mann NC, Burd RS, Jenkins PC, Hansen M, Mohr NM, Stephens C, Fallat ME, Lerner EB, Carr BG, Wall SP, Newgard CD
• Impact of Bowel Coverage and Resuscitation Protocol on Gastroschisis Mortality in Low-Income Countries: Experience and Lessons From Uganda.
  Journal of pediatric surgery 2023 Nimanya SA, Stephens CQ, Yap A, Kisa P, Kakembo N, Wesonga A, Okello I, Naluyimbazi R, Mbwali F, Kayima P, Ssewanyana Y, Naik-Mathuria B, Ozgediz D, Sekabira J
• Routine Pediatric Surgical Emergencies: Incidence, Morbidity, and Mortality During the 1st 8000 Days of Life-A Narrative Review.
  World journal of surgery 2023 Abbas A, Laverde R, Yap A, Stephens CQ, Samad L, Seyi-Olajide JO, Ameh EA, Ozgediz D, Lakhoo K, Bickler SW, Meara JG, Bundy D, Jamison DT, Klazura G, Sykes A, Philipo GS, GICS
• Functional impairment associated with nonfatal pediatric firearm injuries.
  Surgery 2023 Melhado CG, Sullivan TM, Stephens CQ, Burd RS, Jensen AR
• Interrater reliability of chart-based assessment of functional impairment after pediatric injury using the functional status scale.
  The journal of trauma and acute care surgery 2023 Melhado CG, Kao E, Hogan-Schlientz J, Crane D, Shui AM, Stephens CQ, Evans L, Burd RS, Jensen AR
• Pediatric Trauma Care Standardization: A Statewide Survey of Trauma Providers and Program Managers.
  The Journal of surgical research 2023 Stephens CQ, Ashok A, Gee A, Jafri M, Hamilton NA, Lehrfeld D, Newgard C, Krishnaswami S
• Epidemiologic factors associated with neonatal bowel perforations in Uganda: experience from a single tertiary referral hospital
  Annals of Pediatric Surgery 2023 Okello, I, Kakembo, N, Kisa, P, Nimanya, S, Stephens, CQ, Yap, A, Wesonga, AS, Naluyimbazi, R, Sekabira, J
• Failure of primary closure predicts prolonged length of stay in gastroschisis patients.
  Pediatric surgery international 2020 Lin S, Stephens C, Cunningham A, Hamilton N
• Ethics in Global Pediatric Surgery: Existing Dilemmas and Emerging Challenges.
  World journal of surgery 2019 Cunningham AJ, Stephens CQ, Ameh EA, Mshelbwala P, Nwomeh B, Krishnaswami S
• History of adolescent birth and diabetes in adulthood: a cross-sectional study of a nationally representative sample of American women.
  The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians 2019 Skeith AE, Stephens CQ, Nielson CM, Caughey AB
• Computerized Residency Interview Scheduling: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Categorical General Surgery Applicants.
  Journal of surgical education 2018 Hoops HE, Brasel KJ, Stephens CQ, Anderson EM, LeBlanc L, Krishnaswami S
• Utilizing Technology for Global Surgery: A Survey of the West African College of Surgeons.
  The Journal of surgical research 2018 Stephens CQ, Ashok A, Ameh EA, Swaroop M, Nwomeh BC, Yang E, Krishnaswami S
• Neonatal echocardiogram in duodenal obstruction is unnecessary after normal fetal cardiac imaging.
  Journal of pediatric surgery 2018 Stephens CQ, Dukhovny S, Rowland KJ, Hamilton NA
• An academic career in global surgery: a position paper from the Society of University Surgeons Committee on Academic Global Surgery.
  Surgery 2017 Krishnaswami S, Stephens CQ, Yang GP, Nwomeh BC, Swaroop M, Nadler EP, Holterman AX, Simeone DM, Kingham TP, Merchant N, Orloff SL
• Limiting thoracic CT: a rule for use during initial pediatric trauma evaluation.
  Journal of pediatric surgery 2017 Stephens CQ, Boulos MC, Connelly CR, Gee A, Jafri M, Krishnaswami S
• Use of computerized interview scheduling program for pediatric surgery match applicants.
  Journal of pediatric surgery 2017 Stephens CQ, Hamilton NA, Thompson AE, Krishnaswami S