Clinical Focus


  • Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Hospital Medicine

Academic Appointments


  • Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics

Administrative Appointments


  • Faculty Development Co-Director, Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine (2021 - Present)
  • Faculty Coach, Stanford Pediatrics Residency Program (2021 - Present)
  • Rotation Director, Glitter Pediatrics Resident Rotation, Stanford Pediatrics Residency Program (2019 - Present)

Honors & Awards


  • Honor Roll for Clinical Teaching, Pediatric Residency Program, Stanford School of Medicine (2021-22)
  • Honor Roll for Clinical Teaching, Pediatric Medical Student Clerkship, Stanford School of Medicine (2020-21, 2021-22)
  • Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Door of Fame Recognition Award, Stanford School of Medicine (2018, 2021)
  • Clinical Science Teaching Award, Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine (2014)
  • Trustee Teaching Award, Indiana University School of Medicine (2014)
  • Riley Red Shoes for Excellence, Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine (2005, 2009, 2012)

Professional Education


  • Board Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatric Hospital Medicine (2022)
  • Board Certification, American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatric Hospital Medicine (2022)
  • Chief Residency, Indiana University School of Medicine (2005)
  • Board Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatrics (2004)
  • Residency: Indiana University Riley Hospital for Children GME Verification (2005) IN
  • Medical Education: St Louis University School of Medicine (2001) MO
  • BA, University of Notre Dame (1996)

2020-21 Courses


All Publications


  • Almanac: Retrieval-Augmented Language Models for Clinical Medicine. Research square Zakka, C., Chaurasia, A., Shad, R., Dalal, A. R., Kim, J. L., Moor, M., Alexander, K., Ashley, E., Boyd, J., Boyd, K., Hirsch, K., Langlotz, C., Nelson, J., Hiesinger, W. 2023

    Abstract

    Large-language models have recently demonstrated impressive zero-shot capabilities in a variety of natural language tasks such as summarization, dialogue generation, and question-answering. Despite many promising applications in clinical medicine, adoption of these models in real-world settings has been largely limited by their tendency to generate incorrect and sometimes even toxic statements. In this study, we develop Almanac, a large language model framework augmented with retrieval capabilities for medical guideline and treatment recommendations. Performance on a novel dataset of clinical scenarios (n= 130) evaluated by a panel of 5 board-certified and resident physicians demonstrates significant increases in factuality (mean of 18% at p-value < 0.05) across all specialties, with improvements in completeness and safety. Our results demonstrate the potential for large language models to be effective tools in the clinical decision-making process, while also emphasizing the importance of careful testing and deployment to mitigate their shortcomings.

    View details for DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2883198/v1

    View details for PubMedID 37205549

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10187428

  • Say My Name: Understanding the Power of Names, Correct Pronunciation, and Personal Narratives. MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources Dali, S., Atasuntseva, A., Shankar, M., Ayeroff, E., Holmes, M., Johnson, C., Terkawi, A. S., Beadle, B., Chang, J., Boyd, K., Dunn, T. 2022; 18: 11284

    Abstract

    Names are a reflection of identity and often have personal meaning. The chronic mispronunciation of names can undermine one's identity and be experienced as a microaggression. This workshop aims to provide historical context for names as well as resources for correct name pronunciation.We developed a 60-minute interactive virtual workshop with didactics, small-group sharing of personal experiences, and case discussions. We used an anonymous postworkshop survey to evaluate workshop effectiveness.We presented the workshop at one local academic conference and two local educational conferences to learners of all levels from medical students to faculty. We collected postworkshop survey results from 78 participants of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Participants reported learning historical context, ways to ask about correct name pronunciation, correcting name mispronunciation, documenting pronunciation, and sources for applications to practice. The main barriers to implementing workshop lessons included personal and structural factors.This workshop effectively fills an educational gap by addressing the importance of correct name pronunciation in order to provide a more inclusive environment for clinicians and patients alike.

    View details for DOI 10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11284

    View details for PubMedID 36524099

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9705275

  • Back to the Basics: Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children. Pediatric annals Boyd, K. 2017; 46 (7): e257-e261

    Abstract

    Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common childhood infection and often a reason for inpatient admission, especially when a child is hypoxic or in respiratory distress. Despite advances in technology and diagnostics, it remains difficult to accurately differentiate bacterial CAP from a viral process. Most of the laboratory tests routinely done in inpatient medicine, such as complete blood counts and acute phase reactants, do little to differentiate a viral pneumonia from a bacterial pneumonia. Clinicians must rely heavily on the clinical presentation and decide whether to treat empirically with antibiotics. Guidelines published by the Infectious Disease Society of America in 2011 have helped clinicians standardize the diagnosis and treatment of CAP. The guidelines recommend relatively narrow-spectrum antibiotics, such as ampicillin or penicillin, as empiric coverage for the fully immunized child older than age 3 months who requires hospitalization for CAP. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(7):e257-e261.].

    View details for DOI 10.3928/19382359-20170616-01

    View details for PubMedID 28697267

  • Answer to August 2016 Photo Quiz. Journal of clinical microbiology Relich, R. F., Boyd, K. M., McCoy, M. H., Kaufman, C., Simpson, E. R., Christenson, J. C. 2016; 54 (8): 2213-4

    View details for DOI 10.1128/JCM.02058-14

    View details for PubMedID 27458277

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4963496

  • Photo Quiz: Fever, Rash, and Polyarthralgia in a 5-Year-Old Male. Journal of clinical microbiology Relich, R. F., Boyd, K. M., McCoy, M. H., Kaufman, C., Simpson, E. R., Christenson, J. C. 2016; 54 (8): 1937

    View details for DOI 10.1128/JCM.02056-14

    View details for PubMedID 27458267

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4963485