David Molter, MD

David W. Molter, MD, professor of otolaryngology, is honored for his outstanding contributions to the care of pediatric otolaryngology patients.

Molter is a specialist in airway management and reconstruction. His dynamic personality and extraordinary compassion, colleagues say, make him especially adept at caring for young children with airway obstruction problems, including those with additional medical or developmental needs. He is consistently recognized among the Best Doctors in America and is a strong proponent of quality and safety initiatives designed to improve overall patient care. His energy level and enthusiasm carries over to his patients and subsequently leads to trust and confidence among parents.

Molter is recognized for major contributions to the field of complex pediatric airway reconstruction and management including those with Down syndrome and Hunter syndrome. He has pioneered and facilitated the growth of the Difficult Airway Service at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Called a gifted and compassionate surgeon by his colleagues, Molter voluntarily participated in patient focus groups to better understand patient care issues. He also served as a physician champion during the implementation of electronic medical record keeping services, computerized physician ordering entry systems (CPOEs) and residency patient safety and quality improvement programs at the medical center. For the past 16 years, he and his colleague, James Saunders, MD, have led a medical mission to Nicaragua. They have helped foster the growth and education of Nicaraguan otolaryngologists, and as well as habilitation for the hearing impaired, including developing a school for the deaf.

Molter earned his medical degree and completed both a surgical electrophysiology research fellowship and a research fellowship and residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Duke University Medical Center. He also was a clinical fellow in pediatric otolaryngology and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Cincinnati. In a nod to his undergraduate engineering degree, he also served as president of a medical engineering consulting firm and recently became board certified in clinical informatics. In 2000, he joined the faculty of Washington University.