Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH, MPH

Assistant Director, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Audiology Program Director, California Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program
Associate Program Director and Research Director, Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Training Program
Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. As the Assistant Director of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, she works to promote the well-being of individuals with developmental disabilities through research and evaluation, community services, training and technical assistance. She is also a research scientist and who specializes in maternal and child health, public health sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Some of her work has focused on clinical trials and the translation of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. She researches maternal and child health disparities and health outcomes in vulnerable populations, including at the population level, such as children with developmental disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), children involved with the child welfare system and children with obesity. She has also served as PI, co-investigator or director on NIH, CTSI, ACL, HRSA and MCHB-funded grants. As the Audiology Program Director for the California Leadership in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program, she focuses on enhancing the interdisciplinary training of pediatric audiologists to promote positive health outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She also mentors Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellows, pediatric residents, public health graduate students and trainees from a range of other health-related disciplines in research. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, reviews and book chapters. She is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.

Education

Graduate School

Graduate School, MPH: Maternal and Child Health/Health Education, Loma Linda
Graduate School, DrPH: Health Education/Epidemiology Cognate, Loma Linda University

Fellowship

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Accomplishments

Certification

Certified in Public Health
Master Certified Health Education Specialist

Medical Awards

Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health: Kappa Chapter

Publications

Deavenport-Saman A, Yang L, Smith K, Yin L. Do children with autism overutilize the emergency department? Examining visit urgency and subsequent hospital admissions. Matern Child Health J. 20:306-314, 2016. PMID: 26520161

Deavenport-Saman A, Piridzhanyan A, Solomon O, Phillips Z, Kuo T, Yin L. Early childhood obesity among underserved families: A multilevel community-academic partnership. Am J Public Health. 2019;109(4), 593-596. PMID: 30789762

Harstad E, Shults J, Barbaresi W, Bax A, Cacia J, Deavenport-Saman A, Friedman S, Angel Friedman S, LaRosa A, Loe I, Mittal S, Tulio S, Vanderbilt D, Blum N. α2-Adrenergic Agonists or Stimulants for Preschool-Age Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. JAMA. 2021 May 25; 325(20):2067-2075. PMID: 33946100

Angell A, Deavenport-Saman A, Yin L, Zou B, Chen A, Varma DS, Elder J, Norton JA, Solomon O. Sex Differences in Co-occurring Conditions among Autistic Children and Youth in Florida: A Retrospective Cohort Study (2012-2019). J Autism Dev Disord. 2021 Oct;51(10):3759-3765. PMID: 33394250

Deavenport-Saman A, Vanderbilt DL, Harstad E, Shults J, Barbaresi W, Bax A, Cacia J, Friedman S, LaRosa A, Loe IM, Mittal S, Blum N. Association of Co-existing Conditions, ADHD Medication Choice and Likelihood of Improvement in Preschool-Age Children: A DBPNet Study. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2022 Aug;32(6):328-336. PMID: 35787014

Research

Maternal and child health disparities; translational research; children with developmental disabilities: autism spectrum disorders or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders; childhood obesity and vulnerable populations; children involved in the child welfare system; and health care quality, access, and use.