Neonatology and Perinatology

Overview

Members of the Division of Neonatology and Perinatology are dedicated to providing the highest level of neonatal care. We collaborate with a range of medical and surgical subspecialists to care for the sickest infants, including those with extreme prematurity, respiratory failure, extremely low birth weight/very low birth weight, congenital heart disease, and other complex congenital abnormalities that may require surgery.

In particular, the Division of Neonatology is nationally and internationally recognized for our:

• Level IV NICU 
• ECMO Center with full range of specialty services
• Pioneering research in gentle ventilation
• Innovative, dedicated Infant Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
• Multidisciplinary perinatal-neonatal palliative care team

New York State has designated our team at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital as a Regional Perinatal Center, the highest classification level. In awarding this status, the state affirms that our expertise, treatments, and skills enable us to accept and care for the most difficult and sickest newborn infants.

Clinical Expertise

Our expert and gentle care of babies begins from their first breath.  That’s because we understand that our expert care has impacts that last a lifetime.  We routinely outperform similar high acuity NICUs in almost all categories. Notably, our unit has one of the best infant survival rates among NICUs nationally, we have the lowest rates of chronic lung disease in the US, and we have been recognized by the National Institutes of Health for our excellence and expertise in gentle ventilation of neonates.

Our areas of clinical excellence include:

• Prenatal Pediatric Care
• Gentle Respiratory Care
• Infant Cardiac Unit
• ECMO Center
• Neonatal-Perinatal Comfort Care Program
• Neonatal Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Program

Research

The division has a long history of clinical and translational research, which has had a substantial impact in neonatology. The strength of our clinical research has evolved from studies demonstrating beneficial respiratory outcome of early use of bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bubble CPAP) and gentle mechanical ventilation in premature infants and babies with pulmonary hypertension. This work and our practice has received worldwide recognition and acceptance in current neonatal respiratory care. This history of excellence continues in the innovative work we are doing to change how we communicate with and empower families, how we support the neurodevelopment and growth of infants, and, of course, how we continue to help babies breathe.

Division members are currently engaged in a range of clinical and translational research projects. They include:

• Clinical research
• Basic and translational science

Education

Through our three-year fellowship program we accept five fellows for training each year. The program offers an outstanding clinical experience with exposure to a broad range of neonatal diseases at all levels of severity. Fellows develop skills in managing critically ill patients in different environments including during transport from outside hospitals, in the delivery room, in the neonatal ICU, and in the Infant Cardiac Unit. By the end of the training period fellows are expected to complete a clinical, translational, and basic science scholarly work product. Fellows also participate in quality improvement and patient safety activities.