Daniel Licht, M.D., is a child neurologist who specializes in the neurology of congenital heart defects (CHD). Dr. Licht trained at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he developed an interest in brain injury in infants with severe types of CHD.
With over 200 manuscripts and over 6400 citations (H-index of 44), Dr. Licht is recognized internationally as an expert in long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in survivors of infant heart surgery. Dr. Licht’s early work led to the realization of the impact of altered fetal circulation caused by the CHD, on brain development and risks for peri-surgical brain injury. More recently Dr. Licht’s work has discovered that time from birth to surgery is a modifiable risk factor for the most common type of infant brain injury seen in these populations. This has directly impacted how we care for newborns with severe CHD. Dr. Licht has won awards for his research, his mentoring and his clinical skills. His most recent award was the 2019 Luigi Mastroianni Clinical Innovator award from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Licht's specialties are child neurology, pediatric critical care neurology and prenatal neurology.