Dennis R. Durbin, MD, MSCE, is president of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and vice chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics.

As president of the Wexner Research Institute, Dr. Durbin oversees its vision and strategic direction, including the further integration of research and clinical care at Nationwide Children’s as highlighted in the hospital’s latest five-year strategic plan. Dr. Durbin represents the research institute in its ever-growing relationship with The Ohio State University and with the evolving biotechnology ecosystem developing in central Ohio. He also continues to support the recruitment of basic scientists; clinical investigators; and behavioral health and health equity researchers.

Previously, as the research institute’s first chief scientific officer, Dr. Durbin managed a broad portfolio of research initiatives, including the formation of Andelyn Biosciences; the hospital’s first chief clinical research officer position, currently held by Cynthia Gerhardt, PhD; the recruitment of over 40 new research-intensive faculty; and the construction of a fourth research building on the Nationwide Children’s campus, which opened in 2023.

Prior to joining Nationwide Children’s in early 2018, Dr. Durbin was the assistant vice president and chief clinical research officer for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. He was also a professor of Pediatrics and an associate scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He was on the university’s faculty for over 20 years as a clinician and scientist. Dr. Durbin has mentored dozens of trainees and junior faculty, supporting them in becoming thriving physician-scientists in independent research careers

Dr. Durbin is an internationally recognized injury epidemiologist whose research has focused on the prevention of motor vehicle occupant injuries to children and the prevention of teen driver crashes. He has published nearly 200 articles and editorials in peer-reviewed journals that established the evidence base for child and adolescent traffic safety interventions and he has extensive experience translating research findings into policy and practice. He served on the Committee for Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention of the American Academy of Pediatrics during which time he was the lead author on the Academy’s revised policy statement on child passenger safety. His research has been recognized by several organizations, including the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the University of Pennsylvania.