Tara L. DuPont, MD, FAAP

Dr. DuPont is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah. Her investigative focus is on neurodevelopmental outcomes for high risk neonates, particularly infants with neonatal encephalopathy. She has published several studies on describing infants with neonatal encephalopathy and recently completed a pilot randomized controlled trial exploring the use of Darbepoetin as a neuroprotective agent for infants who present with a mild form of neonatal encephalopathy. She is the neonatology lead for the Neonatal Follow-up Program at the University of Utah and works closely with the developmental team and neonatal neurology team promoting best practices both in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Follow-up Clinic. Her clinical work in both the NICU and the Neonatal Follow-up Program has allowed her to be a well-suited co-investigator for neonatal studies involving long-term outcomes such as the PREMOD study, the MEND trial, and the NICHD Neonatal Research General Database study. Additionally, she is listed as a site PI for several studies pending funding. As part of her interest in neurodevelopment, she recognizes the key role parents play in neurodevelopment, specifically in breastfeeding. She published a study to validate the use of "test-weights" on preterm infants in the NICU to assess the amount of milk consumed by an infant through direct breastfeeding. Additionally, she has published on decreasing NICU admissions for breastfeeding related hypoglycemia and the use of donor human milk in Safety-Net Hospital NICUs. Dr. DuPont is also dedicated to improving neonatal education for trainees. She holds a certificate in medical education from the University of New Mexico and is currently mentoring a junior faculty member on a study to assess the use of an established curriculum (The S.T.A.B.L.E. program) to enhance resident education.