Pediatric Neonatal-Perinatal

The comprehensive curriculum provides the fellows with a strong clinical foundation. The fellows participate in a wide variety of clinical, basic science and epidemiology research. The clinical service, including teaching round, neonatal transports and weekly conferences, is joined with weekly multidisciplinary high-risk clinics for a unique opportunity to learn and provide long-term follow up care to the NICU graduates who are at risk for neurodevelopmental disability. The curriculum is designed to ensure protected time for scholarly activities. 

Our comprehensive training program strives:

• To ensure an appropriate environment for the well-being and care of the patients.
• To provide NPM trainees adequate training in the diagnosis, critical analysis of clinical problems, and management of neonates and young infants.
• To provide NPM trainees with opportunities for progressive acquisition of skills in investigative efforts.
• To prepare NPM trainees to create and sustain a therapeutic relationship with patients.
• To be involved as a teacher and supervisor.
• To be involved with scholarly activities
• To develop a commitment to lifelong learning and self-instruction on the part of the NPM trainees.
• To enable NPM trainees to develop expertise as consultants in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.
• To provide progressive clinical, technical, and consultative experiences that will enable the NPM trainees to work effectively as members or leaders of patient care teams or other groups in which they participate as researcher, educator, health advocate, or manager.

Learning Opportunities 

• Weekly grand rounds on neonatal topics: fellows present at least one GR per year 
• Physiology lectures: geared for the fellows 
• Yearly Neonatology Board Reviews 
• Research conferences 
• Weekly journal clubs presented by attendings and fellows 
• Morning reports 3 times per week 
• Weekly combined (Stroger Hospital/Rush Hospital) Pediatric Grand Rounds 
• Monthly mortality & morbidity conferences 
• Monthly simulation sessions for residents 
• Quality improvement projects

Research Experience 

Teaching and research are major focuses throughout the three-year program. 

Each fellow must select a choice of research area, either clinical and/or laboratory in nature. Special interests in the Division include:

• Epidemiology
• Perinatal risk factors and neonatal outcomes
• Clinical profile of necrotizing enterocolitis
• Patent ducus arteriosus
• Neonatal infection
• Calcium phosphate metabolism
• Vitamin D requirements
• Cord clamping 
• Clinical surveys

The Scholarship Oversight Committee aids in research design, protocol submission, IRB and data analysis, as well as manuscript submission for publication. Fellows have protected time throughout their fellowship to participate in various research experiences.