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UF Health University of Florida
Division of Neonatology Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine
Diomel de La Cruz

Diomel de La Cruz, MD

Associate Professor; Program Director – Neonatology Fellowship Program

Department: MD-PEDS-NEONATOLOGY
Business Phone: (352) 273-8985
Business Email: ddelacruz@peds.ufl.edu

About Diomel de La Cruz

Dr. Diomel de la Cruz is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He completed his fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Florida and his pediatrics residency and chief residency at Southern Illinois University. His clinical expertise includes neonatal nutrition, critical care outcomes, intestinal rehabilitation, and simulation-based medical education.

At UF, Dr. de la Cruz serves as Program Director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program. He directs the UF Neonatal Nutrition Team and is a key member of the UF Pediatrics Intestinal Rehabilitation Team, focusing on multidisciplinary care for infants with complex gastrointestinal and nutritional needs.

Dr. de la Cruz’s research spans neonatal nutrition, necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and machine learning applications in neonatology. He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications and contributed to major textbooks in neonatal medicine. His work in clinical trials, translational research, and organ dysfunction scoring has advanced the care of high-risk neonates.

A recognized educator, Dr. de la Cruz has received teaching awards and leads the Global Health Track for the UF Pediatric Residency Program. He previously served as Medical Director of the UF Immigrant Families Mobile Health Fair and remains committed to mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows in clinical care, research, and academic leadership.

Additional Positions:
Director – UF Neonatal Nutrition Team
2017 – ·

Accomplishments

Exemplary Teacher
2017 · University of Florida College of Medicine
Most Outstanding Resident
2012 · Southern Illinois University – Pediatrics

Board Certifications

  • Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
    American Board of Pediatrics
  • Pediatrics
    American Board of Pediatrics

Clinical Profile

Specialties
  • Pediatrics
Areas of Interest
  • Infant – Newborn Development
  • Necrotizing Enterocolitis
  • Neonatal Weight Gain and Nutrition
  • Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation Program

Research Profile

Areas of Interest
  • Gastrointestinal physiology and immunology (necrotizing enterocolitis)
  • Global Health
  • Neonatal Nutrition
  • medical education
  • neonatal microbiome

Publications

Academic Articles
2025
Sex-Related Nutritional Outcomes Among Preterm Very Low Birth-Weight Infants.
Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. 25(2):181-187 [DOI] 10.1097/ANC.0000000000001233. [PMID] 40053867.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2025
Utility of the neonatal and pediatric sequential organ failure assessment scores in critically ill term neonates.
Frontiers in pediatrics. 13 [DOI] 10.3389/fped.2025.1546408. [PMID] 40364811.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2024
Antibiotics Use and Its Effects on the Establishment of Feeding Tolerance in Preterm Neonates.
American journal of perinatology. 41(S 01):e2248-e2253 [DOI] 10.1055/a-2108-1960. [PMID] 37308133.
PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2024
Effect of Early vs Late Inguinal Hernia Repair on Serious Adverse Event Rates in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA. 331(12):1035-1044 [DOI] 10.1001/jama.2024.2302. [PMID] 38530261.
8 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2024
Reassessing acquired neonatal intestinal diseases using unsupervised machine learning.
Pediatric research. 96(1):165-171 [DOI] 10.1038/s41390-024-03074-x. [PMID] 38413766.
9 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2023
Monitoring and management of hypertriglyceridemia in extremely low birth weight neonates receiving intravenous lipid emulsions: A national survey.
Early human development. 186 [DOI] 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2023.105872. [PMID] 37862901.
1 citation · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2022
Enterocolitis necrotizante
World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics. 395-407 [DOI] 10.1159/000526554.
Publisher’s Site
2022
Evaluation of the Neonatal Sequential Organ Failure Assessment and Mortality Risk in Preterm Infants with Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Neonatology. 119(3):334-344 [DOI] 10.1159/000522560. [PMID] 35313308.
14 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2022
Gastrointestinal and feeding issues for infants
Seminars in perinatology. 46(1) [DOI] 10.1016/j.semperi.2021.151546. [PMID] 34920883.
9 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2022
Hourly Kinetics of Critical Organ Dysfunction in Extremely Preterm Infants.
American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 205(1):75-87 [DOI] 10.1164/rccm.202106-1359OC. [PMID] 34550843.
15 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Antibiotics and the developing intestinal microbiome, metabolome and inflammatory environment in a randomized trial of preterm infants.
Scientific reports. 11(1) [DOI] 10.1038/s41598-021-80982-6. [PMID] 33479274.
40 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Maximum vasoactive-inotropic score and mortality in extremely premature, extremely low birth weight infants
Journal of Perinatology. 41(9):2337-2344 [DOI] 10.1038/s41372-021-01030-9. [PMID] 33712712.
19 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2021
Necrotizing Enterocolitis
World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics. 367-378 [DOI] 10.1159/000514760.
Publisher’s Site
2021
Using machine learning analysis to assist in differentiating between necrotizing enterocolitis and spontaneous intestinal perforation: A novel predictive analytic tool.
Journal of pediatric surgery. 56(10):1703-1710 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.11.008. [PMID] 33342603.
28 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2020
Antibiotics Effects on the Fecal Metabolome in Preterm Infants.
Metabolites. 10(8) [DOI] 10.3390/metabo10080331. [PMID] 32823682.
18 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2020
Neonatal Dieulafoy Lesion Requiring Massive Transfusion Protocol and Surgical Intervention
Neonatology. 117(3):380-383 [DOI] 10.1159/000506704.
Publisher’s Site
2020
Pediatric Healthcare Needs and Barriers Self-Reported by a Rural Hispanic Community.
Cureus. 12(12) [DOI] 10.7759/cureus.11999. [PMID] 33442501.
3 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2018
Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Instead of Necrotizing Enterocolitis? A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Case Series.
The Journal of pediatrics. 200:270-273 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.04.048. [PMID] 29803301.
30 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site
2014
Meconium microbiome analysis identifies bacteria correlated with premature birth.
PloS one. 9(3) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0090784. [PMID] 24614698.
283 citations · PubMed · Publisher’s Site

Education

Fellowship – Neonatal Perinatal Medicine
2012-2015 · University of Florida
Residency – Pediatrics
2009-2012 · Southern Illinois University

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-8985
Emails:
Business:
ddelacruz@peds.ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 100296
 GAINESVILLE FL 32610
Business Street:
1600 SW ARCHER RD
 GAINESVILLE FL 32610