Toronto
Dr. Amish Jain is a staff neonatologist and clinician scientist at the Sinai Health System/Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and a Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. He completed his medical school in India, pediatric residency in the UK, and both his neonatal-perinatal fellowship and his PhD in cardiovascular physiology at the University of Toronto. He is also the site Director of the Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program in the NICU at Mount Sinai Hospital and co-director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Research Center. Dr. Jain’s specific research interests are in the field of critical care, neonatal cardio-pulmonary physiology and functional echocardiography, particularly in the assessment and management of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular function in neonates.
Dr. Prakesh S Shah is a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, Canada. He holds an Applied Research Chair from CIHR in Reproductive and Child Health Services Research. Currently, he is the director of the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN) and the International Network for Evaluation of Outcomes of Neonates (iNeo) whereby he oversees a project of benchmarking outcomes of very low birth weight neonates in eleven countries with population-based neonatal networks with a final aim of improving quality of care across 240 NICUs participating in the network. His areas of interest include patient and disease oriented research in neonatal-perinatal medicine, health services and epidemiological research in maternal-newborn care, knowledge synthesis and quality improvement. He has evaluated and produced policy documents on interventions and programs for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of preterm birth for provincial and national agencies. Dr. Prakesh S Shah has been a long-standing collaborator in hemodynamic research in Toronto, where he has significant contributions to research methodology.
Dr. Poorva Deshpande is a Staff Neonatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital and Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. She completed medical school in India, pediatric residency in the UK, and both her neonatal-perinatal fellowship and her targeted neonatal echocardiography training at the University of Toronto. In 2019 she completed her MSc (Institute of Medical Science) at the University of Toronto. Dr. Deshpande is developing her research interests in the field of cerebral hemodynamics of intraventricular hemorrhage, combined multimodal brain and hemodynamic monitoring, and neuromonitoring in preterm infants using near infrared spectroscopy and amplitude integrated EEG.
Dr. Ashraf Kharrat is a staff neonatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, ON and an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. She completed her medical school at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, AB in 2012, her pediatrics residency at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, ON in 2015 and her neonatal-perinatal fellowship and targeted neonatal echocardiography training at the University of Toronto in Toronto, ON in 2018. She obtained a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality program from Queen’s University in 2019. Dr. Kharrat has a clinical and academic interest in bridging cardiopulmonary physiology with quality improvement and is undertaking research in neonatal hemodynamics in sepsis and septic shock.
Laura Thomas is the Clinical Research Manager for the Neonatal Hemodynamics Research Programs at Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and the Operations Manager for the NHRC. She completed her MSc at the Institute of Medical Science (University of Toronto) with a specialized focus in neuroscience and brain health and completed a Project Management Certificate Program in Community and Health Services Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. Locally, she manages all intake, operational and administrative activities for Health Canada/FDA regulated pharmaceutical and device clinical trials, international registry-based and multi-centre prospective observational studies.
Dr. Faith Zhu is a Staff Neonatologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto and an Assistant Professor in Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. She completed her medical school at the University of Edinburgh, her residency in London, UK and her neonatal-perinatal fellowship and neonatal hemodynamics training at the University of Toronto. She is currently in the Clinician-Scientist development program whilst pursuing her Masters degree in Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Dr. Zhu’s area of academic interest includes the use of targeted neonatal echocardiography in critically ill neonates and the long term cardiopulmonary phenotypes of preterm born children.
Toronto
Dr. Dany Weisz is a neonatal intensivist and Co-Director of the Pediatric Cardiology and Neonatal Hemodynamics and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. He completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario, and residency in general pediatrics at the University of Ottawa. He completed his clinical fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine and Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, both at the University of Toronto. Dr. Weisz’s specific research interests include the epidemiology and management of patent ductus arteriosus, transitional hemodynamics and its association with early neonatal morbidity, and non-invasive cardiac output monitoring in extremely preterm infants.
Dr. Lynne Nield is a Paediatric and Fetal Cardiologist and has clinical practices at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto. She is Co-Director of the Sunnybrook Pediatric Cardiology and Neonatal Hemodynamics and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program. She obtained her MD at Queen’s University and completed her Paediatrics Residency in Vancouver. She trained in Paediatric Cardiology with specialization in echocardiography and fetal echo at Sick Kids Hospital. She is a Senior Consultant for Médecins Sans Frontières with expertise in Telemedicine and cardiac POCUS. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Her areas of research include fetal cardiac outcomes, coronary artery imaging and machine learning.
Dr. Maher Shahroor is a neonatologist and member of the Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Shahroor trained at Al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem for his degree in Paediatrics and joined the neonatal-perinatal fellowship program at the University of Toronto in 2017. He has received additional training in transport medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children and targeted neonatal echocardiography at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Shahroor is currently completing a MSc in Medical Sciences with a focus on neonatal respiratory physiology at University of Toronto. His area of academic focus is neonatal respiratory diseases along with neonatal hemodynamics in preterm infants. He has also been involved in collaborative research on necrotizing enterocolitis with the translation medicine department at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Toronto
Dr. Luc Mertens is currently the Echocardiography Section Head at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and a Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Mertens obtained his medical degree and a doctoral degree in Medical Sciences (Physiology and Molecular Biology) at the University of Leuven, Belgium. He trained in Paediatric and Paediatric Cardiology at the University Hospitals Leuven and at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (USA). He worked as a pediatric cardiologist at the University Hospitals in Leuven between 1998 and 2008. His clinical expertise is in paediatric echocardiography. His research interests focus on studying cardiac function in children.
Dr. Bonny Jasani is a staff neonatologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. He completed medical school and residency in general pediatrics at the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, India. He completed his DM training in Neonatology at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, and clinical fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Jasani’s specific research interests include the use of acetaminophen for management of patent ductus arteriosus, and transcatheter device closure of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants.
Vancouver
Dr. Michael Castaldo is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia and Staff Neonatologist at BC Women’s Hospital. He completed his Residency in Paediatric at Cohen Children’s Medical Centre in New York, in 2013 and obtained his Fellowship Training in Neonatology with the University of Toronto. His interest in TNE derived from an appreciation of how the technology offers a non-invasive assessment of cardiovascular health and illustrates the underlying pathophysiology otherwise unseen. Michael was trained in TNE at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. His goal is to evaluate and demonstrate the presumed benefits of TNE as it relates to clarification of cardiovascular physiology, earlier identification of disease states, more focused cardiovascular decision-making and avoidance of treatment in certain situations.
Dr. Mitra is a staff Neonatologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Division of Neonatology) at the University of British Columbia. He completed his fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and MSc in Clinical Epidemiology from McMaster University and his PhD in Epidemiology and Applied Health Research from Dalhousie University. His research interests revolve around improving outcomes of preterm babies with PDA. He is the Principal Investigator of a CIHR funded pan-Canadian study comparing different medications currently used for PDA therapy. He is also the co-chair of the Evidence Based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) Hemodynamic Group of the Canadian Neonatal Network, a member of the Royal College Area of Focused Competence Subcommittee in Neonatal Hemodynamics and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography and Associate Editor for the Cochrane Neonatal Group.
Calgary
Dr. Amuchou Soraisham is a Staff Neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics, at Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He completed medical school and Pediatric (MD) residency training at JIPMER, Pondicherry, India in 1999. He obtained Postdoctoral (DM) Neonatology training from PGIMER, Chandigarh, in 2002 and Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at University of Calgary, Canada. He holds a MSc in Clinical Epidemiology from University of Calgary. Currently he is the Medical Director for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Foothills Medical Centre and the Director of Calgary Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program.
Dr. Amelie Stritzke is a staff neonatologist at Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone and Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She completed medical school at the University of Frankfurt/M, Germany, and her pediatric residency training at the Universities of Zuerich and Berne, Switzerland. Dr. Stritzke completed her Neonatal Fellowship at BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada in 2011, followed by a year of Pediatric Cardiology, where she developed her ultrasonography skills. In Calgary, she provides teaching and pursues research around Target Neonatal Echocardiography (TNE), Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) and SCAN (Sonographic Clinical Assessment of the Neonate).
Dr. Essa Al Awad is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and staff Neonatologist with Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone. He obtained his undergraduate and postgraduate pediatric (MD) training from the University of Damascus Children's Hospital and subsequently completed fellowship training in Neonatal Perinatal Medicine at University of Calgary, Canada. He is a fellow of the Arab Board of Pediatrics, Saudi Board of Pediatrics and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Fellow of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK). In 2011 he was appointed Medical Director for the Neonatal Intensive Care unit at the Peter Lougheed Center and in 2014, he was also appointed the Medical Director of the Pediatrics unit at the Peter Lougheed hospital. His main research interests include neonatal health outcome, neonatal hemodynamic studies and point of care application of ultrasonography in neonatal intensive care. Dr. Al Awad is an executive member and the NICU and Pediatrics Education Medical Leader for UME & PGME at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.
Dr. Ankur Srivastava is a Staff Neonatologist and a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Calgary. He completed his pediatric residency in India and worked as a Specialist Pediatrician in the United Arab Emirates before moving to Canada. After doing a Clinical Neonatology Fellowship at McMaster University, he completed his Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Program Fellowship at the University of Calgary and an additional year of fellowship training in Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography. He is passionate about Neonatal hemodynamics and point of care ultrasonography and is interested in teaching and research in these areas.
Calgary
Dr. Khorshid Mohammad is a Staff Neonatologist at Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone and a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Dr. Mohammad graduated in 2006 from the University of Damascus and Arab League with Master's degree in Pediatrics. He completed neonatal fellowship training at the University of Calgary in 2010, Neonatal Neurology training at the University of British Columbia, and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography at Universities of British Columbia and Calgary in 2013. In 2014, Dr. Mohammad established the Neonatal Neuro-Critical Care program in Calgary in collaboration with Pediatric Neurology. Dr. Mohammad is a founding member of the Sonographic Clinical Assessment of the Newborn (SCAN) program. Dr. Mohammad main areas of interest are innovation in education and quality improvement. Dr. Mohammad established Innovation in neonatal neuro-critical care education lab including cranial ultrasonography phantoms and simulators, Neonatal EEG simulator, Neonatal neurological exam using Virtual reality and Mannequins, online teaching modules in neonatal neurology and smart phones applications. He organized and led several conferences, workshops, and courses in Neonatal neuro-monitoring locally and around the world. He is a founding member of the Newborn Brain Society, Chair of the Society Educational Committee and member of Board of Directors. Dr. Mohammad quality improvement work led to significant reduction in mortality and brain injury in extremely premature infants and term infants suffered from asphyxia and seizure. Dr. Mohammad received the Canadian Pediatric Society emerging leader in neonatology award in 2020. Dr. Mohammad’s areas of research interest are education, brain perfusion, monitoring, and quality Improvement neuroprotection strategies. He published many studies in those areas and holds several research grants.
Dr. Kimberley Myers is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, and staff Pediatric Cardiologist at Alberta Children’s Hospital. Dr. Myers completed her medical degree at the University of British Columbia, pediatric residency training at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Her clinical and research interests are primarily cardiac imaging, including fetal echo, cardiac CT, cardiac MRI, as well as neurodevelopmental outcomes in congenital heart disease patients. Dr. Myers provides teaching around Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography and Cardiac Point of Care Ultrasound in Calgary.
Edmonton
Dr. Kumar Kumaran is the Director for Zonal Edmonton service for Hemodynamics and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography in Northern Alberta Neonatal program, Edmonton. Following his Pediatrics and Neonatology training from India and UK, Dr Kumaran did his Neonatal fellowship from Canada. He blends his Neonatal experience from India, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand into practice and is a clinical Associate Professor in University of Alberta, Edmonton. Dr. Kumaran trained in Echocardiography in UK and Australia and has been integrating TNE practice and hemodynamics with clinical Neonatology since 2005. Dr Kumaran’s other interests are mindfulness practices for stress reduction, quality improvement techniques and neonatal palliative care.
Dr. Abbas Hyderi is a Neonatal Intensivist for the Northern Alberta Neonatal Program at Stollery Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He completed primary medical and pediatric residency training in India. He completed his Neonatal-Perinatal fellowship training at the University of Calgary, and a further two-years of postgraduate training at the University of Alberta, a Clinical and Research Fellowship in Neonatal Cardiology and Echocardiography. He is currently the Education Lead for the Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography and Hemodynamics Program at the University of Alberta. His passion includes education and the advancement of neonatal hemodynamics learning. Hemodynamic research interests include PDA and transitional physiology, including the use of multimodal assessments (ex: NIRs). He also has special research training and interests in advanced cardiac imaging, including deformation and rotation imaging.
Dr. Joseph Ting is an Associate Professor in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Care, University of Alberta and Staff Neonatologist at Stollery Children's Hospital. He completed his Residency in Pediatrics at Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, in 2006 and obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Infectious Diseases and Master of Public Health (Medical Statistics) from the University of Hong Kong in 2007 and 2009, respectively. In 2010-2013 he received his fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine in Vancouver, six months of which was spent at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto to receive further training in Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography (TNE). His research interests include: (i) neonatal infections and antimicrobial stewardship; and (ii) neonatal hemodynamics and TNE.
Dawn Pepper has worked in the NICU since 2002, as a bedside RN initially and then a transport RN. She graduated from the Master of Nursing, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program in 2009 and is an Advanced Practice Neonatal Nurse in Edmonton zone. She completed Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography training in 2016 in Edmonton – the first Neonatal Nurse Practitioner to be certified in Canada. She is currently involved with training and precepting of new learners in the Edmonton TNE program, as well as providing hemodynamic consults through the TNE service.
Jill Larocque has worked in the NICU since 2002. She graduated with a Masters of Education in Educational studies in 2008 and from the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program in 2013. She is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in the Edmonton zone as well as a Clinical Associate for the Faculty of Nursing, Graduate studies and instructor in the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program through the University of Alberta. She completed Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography training in 2021 in Edmonton. She is currently involved with training and precepting of new learners in the Edmonton TNE program, as well as providing hemodynamic consults through the TNE service.
Dr. Hornberger is the Section Head of Pediatric Echocardiography and a Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. For nearly 2 decades she has been involved in clinical, educational and research endeavors in fetal and neonatal cardiovascular health and disease. She has established three fetal cardiovascular programs at the University of Toronto (1996-2003), at the University of California, San Francisco (2003-2008), and since 2008 at the University of Alberta. The Stollery Children’s Hospital Echo Lab, under her direction, performed over 12,000 pediatric and fetal echocardiograms and is internationally recognized for leading research in clinical applications of 3D, virtual and functional echocardiography.
Dr. Aimann Surak is a staff neonatologist for the Northern Alberta Neonatal Program at Stollery Children’s Hospital and a clinical lecturer in pediatrics at the University of Alberta. His training was in Ontario, Canada where he completed a pediatric residency (London ON), Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship (London ON), Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine departmental fellowship (Toronto ON) and most recently a subspecialty program in Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography and Hemodynamics (Ottawa ON). Dr. Surak’s clinical and research interests are in neonatal hemodynamics, cardiovascular physiology and improving the quality of imaging acquisition.
Winnipeg
Dr. Yasser Elsayed is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Manitoba, a staff neonatologist, and researcher at the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. He is the founder and director of the Integrated Hemodynamics and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography program and point of care ultrasound in Winnipeg and the co-chair of POCUSNEO group. Using a combination of ultrasound, echocardiography and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), he has been able to optimize the management of critically ill newborns by providing a thorough assessment of end organ (heart, lung and brain) performance. His research interests are in the field of hemodynamics and physiology-oriented practice.
Winnipeg
Dr. Deepak Louis is a Neonatologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba and is one of two Neonatologists with targeted neonatal echocardiography expertise in Winnipeg. He was trained in TnEcho at the University of Toronto. His research interests are in the field of Neonatal hemodynamics and point of care ultrasound.
Dr. Ayman Sheta completed his MBBCH at Mansoura School of Medicine, Egypt in 2001 and his Master’s degree of Pediatrics at Ain Shams University, Egypt in 2011. In 2015 he joined the University of Calgary and completed a two-year Neonatal/Perinatal Fellowship followed by a 15 month fellowship in TNE and Neonatal Hemodynamics. He then completed a one year fellowship in Neonatal Transport and a one year Advanced NICU Research Fellowship at the University of Toronto. Dr. Sheta joined the University of Manitoba in 2021 as a neonatologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and is now the Director of the Neonatal/Perinatal Fellowship Program. He is passionate about neonatal hemodynamics and POCUS.
London
Dr. Soume Bhattacharya is a Neonatologist and Assistant Professor at Western University, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry and an Associate Scientist at Children’s Health Research Institute, London and Lawson Health Research Institute. Dr. Bhattacharya did a 3-year Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Western University (2013-2016) followed by a 1 year Fellowship in, Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography, and Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. (2016-2017). She has also completed her Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology from McMaster University (2017). Dr. Bhattacharya’s research interest revolves around neonatal hemodynamics, cardiovascular physiology, neonatal brain injury and technological innovations in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Dr. Renjini Lalitha is a Neonatologist and Assistant Professor at Western University, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She did 3year fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Western University (2013-2016) followed by 2.5years of Targeted Neonatal Echocardiogram fellowship at University of Alberta (2017-2020). Dr.Lalitha’s area of research interest revolves around application of different modalities for assessing hemodynamics during transitional period, pulmonary hypertension and exploring the role of TNE in BPD prediction. She also maintains interest in POCUS and is interested in exploring the application of POCUS in predicting preterm brain injury.
Hamilton
Dr. Amneet Sidhu is a Staff Neonatologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at McMaster University. She completed medical school at the University of Ottawa and her paediatrics residency and neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Sidhu’s clinical and research interests relate to transitional hemodynamics and its impact on neonatal morbidity, integration of POCUS with bedside clinical decision making, and quality improvement in neonatal hemodynamics.
Dr. Abdul Wahab (a.k.a Dr.Gani) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. He pursued his medical training in India, completed his postgraduate training in Pediatrics and Neonatology at Manipal University India and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship program, Masters in eHealth at McMaster University. He was the Program Director for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program at McMaster University from 2013 to 2018. He was the first recipient of McMaster's prestigious DPLEIA Award for his educational innovation during his leadership. His passion is training and knowledge translation in TnEcho and Point of care ultrasound in Neonatology. He is now the Program director for TNE fellowship and chair of TNE and POCUS committee at McMaster. He is the founding co-chair of the international POCUSNEO program in Canada. He conducted several local, international and online conferences, courses and workshops on TNE and POCUS.
Kingston
Dr. Eyad Bitar is a full-time Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a Neonatologist at Queen's University. He completed his training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography, and Hemodynamics at the University of Alberta. Dr. Bitar serves as the site lead for the Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Program in the NICU at Kingston Health Sciences Centre. His primary interests are in education and research, with a focus on pulmonary hypertension, neonatal hemodynamics and the integration of multimodal assessment tools, such as POCUS and NIRS into clinical practice. Additionally, Dr. Bitar holds a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Alberta.
Ottawa
Dr. Ben Fadel is a Neonatologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. She received her MD from Al Fateh University in Tripoli, Libya. Dr. Ben Fadel has a great interest in studying neonatal cardiac function and hemodynamics. Her main research focus is on the use of TnEcho and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Ben Fadel has a master’s degree in Health Professional Medical Education, and is the program director of both the Neonatal Perinatal Medicine fellowship and Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Fellowships.
Dr. Jankov is Professor and Vice Chair (Research) in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Ottawa, a Clinician-Scientist in the Division of Neonatology and a Senior Scientist in the Molecular Biomedicine Program at CHEO Research Institute. He obtained his MB, BS at the University of Melbourne, Australia and completed his residency training in Paediatrics at the Royal Children’s Hospital. He subsequently completed a Clinical Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, followed by a PhD (Physiology), at the University of Toronto. Dr. Jankov’s research program is focused upon understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of vascular remodeling, right-ventricular dysfunction and nitric oxide unresponsiveness in pulmonary hypertension during early life.
Dr. Laurent Renesme is a Neonatologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. He received his MD from the University of Bordeaux, France with a 3-year Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (2011-2014) and worked there as a neonatologist until 2022. He completed a PhD with co-direction between the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Bordeaux (2016-2021), and a Neonatal Transport Fellowship at CHEO (2020-2021). His research focus is on the use of TnEcho and point of care ultrasound (POCUS) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, pulmonary hypertension and heart/lungs interactions.
Dr. Ayman Saker is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa. He completed his neonatal medicine fellowship at Western University, London ON in 2021 and completed a neonatal hemodynamics and targeted neonatal echocardiography fellowship at the University of Ottawa in 2022 after which time he joined the neonatal hemodynamic team in Ottawa. Dr. Saker's research interests are in neonatal hemodynamics and more specifically PDA.
Montréal
Dr. Gabriel Altit is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Neonatology at McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and staff neonatologist at Montreal Children’s Hospital. He is the principal investigator of the NeoCardioLab at the MUHC Research Institute and the program director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics fellowship. He runs the NeoCardioLab website, which provides resources on neonatal hemodynamics, echocardiography and fetal echocardiography, as well as congenital heart defect and near infrared spectroscopy. He graduated from McGill University medical school and completed his residency in general pediatrics and his training in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the Université de Montréal – CHU Sainte-Justine. Dr. Altit was trained in echocardiography at Montreal Children’s Hospital (clinical). He then completed a post-doctoral year of neonatal echocardiography research at Stanford University. He obtained his MSc (Epidemiology) from McGill University. His research interests are in neonatal hemodynamics and populations with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital heart defect, pulmonary hypertension, and prematurity. He is funded by Fondation des étoiles, Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie, the McGill Department of Pediatrics, as well as the Fonds de Recherche en Santé Québec.
Montréal
Dr. Andréanne Villeneuve is a staff neonatologist at CHU Sainte-Justine and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Montreal. After her residency in neonatal-perinatal medicine at CHU Sainte-Justine, Dr. Villeneuve continued with an additional year of training in functional echocardiography at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney (Australia), and completed the “Advanced Neonatal Clinician Performed Ultrasound” Certificate from the Australian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine. During her clinical training, Dr. Villeneuve completed a Clinician-Researcher program of the Royal College of Canada and a master's degree in Biomedical Sciences. Her interests are in the field of transfusion medicine in neonatology, including expertise in neonatal hemodynamics.
Dr. Anie Lapointe is an Associate Professor at University of Montreal and a staff neonatologist at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She obtained her medical degree in 2005 and completed residency in general pediatrics at the Laval University in Quebec City in 2008. In 2010, she completed her fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at CHU Sainte-Justine, University of Montreal. In 2010-2011, she received training in Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She completed a master’s degree in Cardiovascular Physiology from University of Montreal in 2016. Dr. Lapointe’s specific research interests include neonatal sepsis, management of PDA, and transitional hemodynamics in extremely preterm infants.
Quebec City
Dr. Audrey Hébert is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Laval University and staff neonatologist at CHU de Québec. She completed her Pediatrics residency training and Neonatal-Perinatal fellowship at Université Laval – CHU de Québec. She completed formal training in Neonatal Hemodynamics/TNE at BC Women’s Hospital and at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Health Sciences at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hébert is developing her research interest in the field of chronic pulmonary hypertension associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and training program development in TNE.
Dr. Christine Drolet is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Laval University and staff neonatologist at CHU de Québec. She obtained her Pediatrics residency training and Neonatal-perinatal fellowship at Université Laval – CHU de Québec. She completed her training in neonatal follow-up at Sunnybrook Hospital while pursuing training in TNE at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Her clinical and research interests in the field of chronic pulmonary hypertension associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and quality improvement.
Halifax
Dr. Walid El-Naggar is a neonatologist at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia and an Associate Professor with the Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University. He had fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Toronto followed by a fellowship year in Echocardiography at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He moved to Halifax in 2008 and is currently the TNE and Research Director of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. His research interests include neonatal resuscitation, placental transfusion, neonatal thrombosis and neonatal hemodynamics. Dr. El-Naggar served as a member of the Canadian Pediatric Society NRP Executive Committee and Scientific Subcommittee and is currently a member of the CNN Executive Committee, International Liaison Committee on Neonatal Resuscitation (ILCOR) and NLS Task Force.
New Brunswick
Iowa City
Dr. Patrick J McNamara graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1987, received his MRCPCH in Paediatrics in 1997 and Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in Neonatal Medicine in 2002. He is currently a Staff Neonatologist, Director of the Division of Neonatology and Vice Chair for Inpatient Acute Care at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. He is a Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, University of Iowa and the current chair of the Paediatric Academic Society Neonatal Hemodynamics Advisory, American Society of Echocardiography Neonatal Hemodynamics TnECHO Special Interest Group, Association of Academic Neonatal Division Directors, and co-director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Research Center. His clinical and research interests include myocardial performance in the settings of a hemodynamically significant ductus arteriosus, pulmonary hypertension and targeted neonatal echocardiography.
Dr. Regan Giesinger passed away in May 2023. She was an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Iowa where she was the Director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Clinical and Training programs. She was also Secretary of the Pan-American Hemodynamics Collaborative and member of the US Hemodynamics Collaborative. Her areas of academic focus are the hemodynamics of critically ill neonates, particularly among neonates with perinatal hypoxic ischemic insult.
Danielle R. Rios is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Iowa and Director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Clinical and Training Program. She graduated from medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 2006. She completed residency in pediatrics and her neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in 2009 and 2012. She completed the Clinical Scientist Training Program and received a MSc in Clinical Investigation from Baylor College of Medicine in 2014. She trained in Targeted neonatal Echocardiography at the University of Toronto. Her areas of academic focus are the hemodynamics of critically ill neonates and predictive analytics to improve outcomes of extremely low birth weight infants.
Adrianne Bischoff Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa. She did her Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine training at the University of Toronto and completed her Neonatal Hemodynamics training at the University of Iowa. She is a member of the PanAmerican Hemodynamics Collaborative (PAHC) which promotes educational initiatives in the field of neonatal hemodynamics/TnECHO and cultivates multicenter clinical research and a council member of the Midwest Society for Pediatric Research (MWSPR). Her research interests focus on the physiology of post-transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure, mechanisms of blood pressure regulation in preterm infants and the use of cardiac MRI.
Dr.Amy Stanford is a Clinical Assistant Professor at University of Iowa. She completed her neonatology fellowship in June 2020 and Neonatal Hemodynamics training in June 2021, both at Iowa. Her research interests include using targeted neonatal echocardiography to study perfusion of the immature intestinal tract in the setting of various PDA shunts.
Dr. Rachael Hyland is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Iowa. She completed her neonatology fellowship and advanced ECMO training at Washington University in St. Louis, followed by a neonatal hemodynamics fellowship at the University of Iowa. Her research interests include fetal to neonatal cardiovascular transition and the effects of intrauterine growth restriction on the developing heart.
Dr. Stephanie Acosta is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiologist at the University of Iowa. She is Associate Program Director for Neonatal Hemodynamics Training Program. She graduated from medical school at UTSHCSA in 2015. She completed her pediatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas and pediatric cardiology fellowship at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida. Her academic focus is fetal cardiology and echocardiography. Her research interests include fetal to neonatal cardiovascular transition and cardiovascular myocardial function of critically ill neonates.
Dr. Wren received his MD, PhD from Wake Forest School of Medicine and completed his residency in Pediatrics at St. Louis Children's Hospital. He went on to Washington University in St. Louis where he completed the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship. He came to the University of Iowa in 2023 for his Neonatal Hemodynamics Fellowship and joined as faculty in July 2024. His research interests include investigating the role of inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of a hemodynamically significant PDA as well as the implementation of hemodynamics-directed care for infants with CDH.
Melissa Bates, PhD is an Associate Professor of Health and Human Physiology and Neonatology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Bates completed her PhD in Physiology at The Pennsylvania State University and a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Respiratory Neurobiology in the John Rankin Laboratory of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin. Her clinical research interests include understanding 1) how chronic intermittent hypoxia and supplemental oxygen impact long-term cardiorespiratory function in survivors of prematurity and 2) how prematurity impacts later life clinical outcomes, including cancer survivorship.
Sarah Haskell, DO is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa. She completed her pediatric residency and critical care fellowship at the University of Iowa. Her research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of acquired heart defects. She has used basic science and translational studies to investigate how the intrauterine environment influences offspring cardiac development.
Allison Momany, PhD, is a Clinical Child Psychologist at the University of Iowa. Her research examines biologic (genetic and epigenetic) and physiologic variation in preterm infants, and the extent to which these factors confer risk for neurodevelopmental impairment. Dr. Momany's clinical work focuses on neurodevelopmental assessment of infants born preterm in early childhood (2-6 years old).
Megan Hudak is the Neonatal Hemodynamics Program Coordinator at the University of Iowa Health Care. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Iowa State University and was previously the Internal Medicine Residency Program Coordinator at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. She started at the University of Iowa as the Program Coordinator for the Iowa General Surgery Residency Program before transitioning to the Neonatal Hemodynamics program in April 2024. In addition to managing the administrative aspects of the University of Iowa Neonatal Hemodynamics Fellowship and Observership Experience programs, she helps support the Neonatal Hemodynamics Research Centre’s educational programs.
Boston
Dr. Philip Levy is an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a staff neonatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. His patient-oriented and translational research initiatives focus on cardiac mechanics in congenital and acquired cardiopulmonary diseases in the neonatal and pediatric population. His professional activities span the realm of clinical service, research and teaching, all devoted to discovering, implementing and teaching evidence-based clinical care of seriously ill newborns. Dr. Levy’s work is part of a larger international collaborative that was established to examine emerging measures of cardiac function and pulmonary hemodynamics in large preterm birth cohorts to define physiological and pathological patterns of postnatal cardiac adaptation. Philip and his collaborators have introduced novel approaches for non-invasive quantitative cardiac focused imaging that yield sensitive and specific methods of assessment and management of neonatal and paediatric cardiopulmonary diseases. The major objective of his research is to extend the capacity for ultrasound as a tool to enhance the understanding of newborn cardio-pulmonary disease and explore its contribution in quantitative cardiac phenotyping.
San Diego
Dr. Anup Katheria is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and the Director of the Neonatal Research Institute and the NICU follow-up clinic at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. Dr. Katheria earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, his MD from Drexel University College of Medicine, completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and his Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship at the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Jenny Koo completed her Neonatal Perinatal Medicine fellowship at UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital. She is currently appointed staff neonatologist at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Infants. She continues her work through the Sharp Neonatal Research Institute with an interest and focus in hemodynamics as well as in point of care ultrasonography.
Orange County
Dr. Amir Ashrafi is a neonatal-cardiac intensivist at CHOC Children’s Hospital with an interest in caring for newborns with hemodynamic instability and/or congenital heart disease. He is the director of the Neonatal-Cardiac ICU and the clinical director of the neonatal ECMO program. Dr. Ashrafi received his NICU training at UCLA Medical Center and his pediatric CVICU training at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is the co-founder of the international medical conference “NeoHeart: Cardiovascular Management of the Neonate”, the co-founder and initial president of the Neonatal Heart Society, and serves on the board of the California Association of Neonatologists.
Dr. Anjan Batra completed his cardiology fellowship and 4th year electrophysiology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is the vice chair of the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Batra’s research and scientific findings are reflected in more than 60 publications in prestigious national journals and text books. He is an internationally recognized lecturer who is known for his work on the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest.
Dr. John Patrick Cleary passed away in October 2022. He completed his Neonatology fellowship at UC San Diego and was the co-founder of the international medical meeting “NeoHeart: Cardiovascular Management of the Neonate” and a board member of the Neonatal Heart Society. He was also the former president of the California Assoc. of Neonatologists.
Dr. Wyman Lai completed his cardiology fellowship at UCLA Medical Center. He is the assistant division chief of cardiology, co-director of the cardiac institute, and director of the echocardiography lab at CHOC Children’s Hospital. He has served as the Chair of the Pediatric and Congenital Council Board of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and currently sits on the National Board of Echocardiography Board of Directors.
Palo Alto
Dr. Valerie Chock is the Associate Director for the Neonatal Prenatal Consultations Services (LPCH) and Associate Program Director for Research, Neonatology Fellowship Program. Her research includes investigation of altered hemodynamics and regional tissue oxygenation for infants at high risk for central nervous system injury and neurodevelopmental impairment. She has expertise developing both clinical and research applications for neonatal NIRS monitoring including assessment of neonates with a patent ductus arteriosus, preterm anemic infants, infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, and infants with congenital heart disease in the peri-operative period.
Dr. Van Meurs is the Director of the Neonatal ECMO Program and Director of the NeuroNICU. Her research interests include hypoxic respiratory failure, PPHN, inhaled nitric oxide use in term and preterm infants, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and the use of aEEG, NIRS, and neuroprotection in the NICU.
Columbus
Dr. Molly Ball is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University and Clinical Neonatologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio where she serves as Director of Neonatal Care in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit. She completed her pediatrics training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Northwestern University. Dr. Ball’s career and research have focused on the intersection of fetal and neonatal-perinatal medicine with cardiovascular pathophysiology, including congenital heart diseases and pulmonary hypertension.
Dr. Leeann Pavlek is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and a neonatologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, where she is an investigator in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute Center for Perinatal Research. She completed medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University, pediatric residency at University of Michigan, and neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital. She has a Master's degree in Medical Sciences from The Ohio State University. Her areas of clinical and research interest include cardiac development and neonatal cardiopulmonary physiology, particularly in extremely preterm infants.
Orlando
Dr. J. Lauren Ruoss is a Clinical Neonatologist and Associate Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Winnie Palmer/Orlando Health Regional Hospital - Pediatrix. She is the director of the Neonatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound Program at Winnie Palmer, external fellow of Neonatal Hemodynamics at the University of Iowa, and the communication liaison for the Neonatal Hemodynamics TnECHO Special Interest Group for the American Society of Echocardiography. She has a clinical and research focus on neonatal hemodynamics and point-of-care ultrasound. Dr. Ruoss is a member of the neonatal international hemodynamics collaborative and through her research aims to evaluate the use of emerging non-invasive technologies, including point-of care ultrasound and echocardiography, for the rapid assessment and management of neonatal hemodynamic disturbances.
Gainesville
Dr. Bazacliu is a clinical associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Dr. Bazacliu is the director of the multidisciplinary Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Program. She co-founded of the Neonatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound Program and the Pulmonary Hypertension for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Team at University of Florida. Her clinical and research interest are comprehensive care of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, acute and chronic pulmonary hypertension, targeted neonatal echocardiography and neonatal hemodynamics. She is a member of American Academy of Pediatrics, PanAmerican Hemodynamic Collaborative and American Society of Echocardiography.
Oklahoma
Dr. Marjorie Makoni is an Assistant Professor in Neonatology at The Children’s Hospital at Oklahoma University Health Science Center (OUHSC). She completed her medical School at St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, her pediatric residency training at the University of Toledo, Ohio and NPM fellowship at OU Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. She is the director of the TnEcho Hemodynamics program in the NICU at Children’s Hospital at OUHSC. Dr.Makoni’s clinical and Research Interests include chronic pulmonary hypertension, racial disparities in premature babies, genomics and metabolomics of cardiovascular development in premature infants.
Dr. “Pearl” Trassanee Chatmethakul is an Assistant Professor in Neonatology at The Children’s Hospital at Oklahoma University Health Science Center (OUHSC). Following graduation from medical school (Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Thailand), she completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama. She received both her Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and her Neonatal Hemodynamics training at the University of Iowa. Her current academic work focuses on the hemodynamics of critically ill neonates and cardiovascular development in premature infants.
Rochester
Dr. Irina Prelipcean is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Rochester. She is a Staff Neonatologist at the University of Rochester Golisano Children's Hospital and is involved in the Neonatal Clinical Research Group and Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program leadership. She graduated from the University Of Central Florida College Of Medicine as part of the school’s charter class. She completed her residency and neonatology fellowship at the University of Florida. Her area of academic interest is integrated monitoring and improvement of outcomes in critically ill neonates. She is training in TNE and developing her research in hemodynamics and biomarkers involved in the neonatal brain and adrenal dysfunction.
Philadelphia
Dr. María Victoria Fraga is an attending neonatologist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She serves as the Director of Neonatal Point of Care Ultrasound in the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit. She co-directs the biannual CHOP Bedside Ultrasound Course, offering multi-disciplinary training over two days in neonatal and pediatric acute care procedural and diagnostic ultrasound applications. Dr. Fraga previously served as Pediatric Ultrasound Committee Chair as well as Ultrasound Course Chair for the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). She has delivered many SCCM and CHOP-based courses nationally and internationally. She has co-authored multiple manuscripts, chapters, and editorials on neonatal Point-of-Care ultrasound. She is also a member of the US Hemodynamics Collaborative. She is especially interested in the bedside assessment of neonatal cardiac hemodynamics and ECMO as well as education and training for Point-of-Care Ultrasound in the NICU.
New York
Dr. Tina Leone is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University and a neonatologist at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian. Dr. Leone completed medical school and her pediatrics residency at New Jersey Medical School. She completed her neonatology training at University of California, San Diego. She is currently the training program director for the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Program at Columbia University. Dr. Leone was trained in neonatal echocardiography in 2005 and has enjoyed teaching these skills to neonatology fellows in her program ever since. Her academic interests include neonatal resuscitation and transitional hemodynamics.
Dr. Angelica Vasquez is a neonatal-cardiac intensivist at Columbia University Medical Center. Following graduation from medical school at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, she completed Pediatric residency and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship at Columbia University. She received training in Neonatal Hemodynamics at the University of Iowa and returned to Columbia University Medical Center to complete an instructor year in Neonatal Cardiac ICU medicine. Her areas of academic focus include cardiac and cerebral hemodynamics and the use of noninvasive clinical monitoring tools to optimize the care of premature and critically ill neonates.
New York
Dr. Tarik Zahouani is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. He completed his medical degree at Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de Casablanca, Morocco, and a pediatric residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, New York. He went on to complete a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Maryland, and a pediatric cardiology fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. His research interests include functional echocardiography and neonatal hemodynamics.
Atlanta
Dr. Bhombal is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Emory University/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is board certified in both Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Pediatric Cardiology, completing her training at LA County University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, respectively. Dr. Bhombal is currently Associate Medical Director of Neonatal Services, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, and recently relocated from Stanford, where she was Medical Director of the NICU Heart Team at Stanford, Co-Director of the Cardiac and Respiratory care for the Infant with BPD (CRIB) Program, and Director of the NICU Ultrasound Program. Her research encompasses pulmonary hypertension in the chronic lung disease population, developmental cardiac physiology and utilizing bedside ultrasound in the Neonatal ICU in order to advance the understanding of clinical disease processes and enhance management.
Sacramento
Dr. Yogen Singh is a Full Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California - UC Davis Children’s Hospital, California. He is the Chair of the ESPNIC Cardiovascular Dynamics Section and POCUS Working Group. As a Pediatrician with Expertise in Pediatric cardiology, he is formally trained in comprehensive structural and functional echocardiography. He is truly passionate about Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography (TNE), neonatal hemodynamics and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training for the neonatal and pediatric intensivists so that they can be widely applied while making clinical decisions in emergency situations. He has led development of the “International evidence-based POCUS guidelines for use in neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit”, “Recommendations for hemodynamic monitoring for critically ill children-expert consensus statement”, and “Expert Consensus Statement on Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography (NPE): Training and Accreditation in the UK”. He has contributed to the development of TNE guidelines (2024) and European NPE guidelines. He has a special interest in neonatal and pediatric hemodynamics and advanced functional echocardiography imaging. He is the Director of TNE, Neonatal Hemodynamics and POCUS at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Hollywood
Dr. Estela Pina-Rodrigues is a neonatologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood Florida. She completed her medical degree in Brazil and completed her fellowship in Neonatal Perinatal Medicine at Advocate Lutheran Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. She has spent time with Michigan State University as an Assistant Professor and has been a staff neonatologist at Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital since 2007. Her clinical interests include quality improvement, point of care ultrasound, functional echocardiography, and hemodynamics.
Los Angeles
Dr. Jennifer Shepherd is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the USC Keck School of Medicine and Attending Neonatologist at the Fetal and Neonatal Institute, Division of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She completed her fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of California San Diego, where she also received her medical degree and completed her pediatric residency. Her clinical and research interests focus on cardiorespiratory pathophysiology, particularly in infants with congenital heart disease, patent ductus arteriosus, and other surgical issues. She developed the cardiac-focused team in the NICCU in conjunction with Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery colleagues to address the needs of highly complex infants with CHD and other comorbidities. She utilizes targeted neonatal echocardiography and non-cardiac point-of-care ultrasound to enhance medical decision-making and management of sick infants. Dr. Shepherd teaches TNE and POCUS through the fellowship program and various workshops, including as chair of the Neonatal Point of Care Workshop at the annual California Association of Neonatologists meeting.
Dr. Caroline Noh is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the USC Keck School of Medicine and the Associate Director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics and Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She received her fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and a master's degree in Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Stanford University, where she served as the Associate Director of the Neonatal POCUS Program. Her area of academic interest includes comprehensive cardiopulmonary and hemodynamic assessment utilizing targeted neonatal echocardiography, POCUS, near-infrared spectroscopy, and electrical impedance tomography, particularly in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Clinically, she primarily provides care for critically ill infants with complex congenital heart disease or altered hemodynamics as part of the cardiac team in the NICCU. Dr. Noh is passionate about teaching and learning ultrasound and echocardiography.
Houston
Dr. Sharada Gowda is a board certified neonatologist with cardiac critical care training and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at Baylor College of Medicine. She is passionate about delivering high impact care for critically ill neonates. Dr. Gowda's research interests include management of congenital heart disease, ventricular dysfunction in congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and mechanical circulatory support. She is the faculty co-chair for TeCAN-SOCCS cardiac curriculum “Little Hearts-Big Goals”, the Research Co-Chair for National Neonatal POCUS collaborative and Co-Chair for CHNC POCUS focus group.
Fort Worth
Dr. Ziad Alhassen is a board certified Neonatologist at Cook Children's hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. He completed his residency at Texas Tech University-El Paso and Neonatal-Perinatal fellowship at UC Davis. He completed his Neonatal Hemodynamics and Cardiac Intensive Care fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Orange County-UC Irvine. Dr. Alhassen’s academic interests are centered on enhancing education opportunities through Targeted Neonatal Echocardiograms (TNEs). His research and clinical focus includes defining and managing hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (HsPDAs), evaluating left ventricular diastolic function in the ELBW population, as well as cerebral and cardiac hemodynamics.
Minneapolis
Dr. Cavallaro Moronta is a clinical neonatologist at Children's Minnesota. She graduated from medical school at La Universidad del Zulia in Maracaibo, Venezuela and completed a Pediatrics residency at Holtz Children's Hospital/University of Miami in Miami, Florida. She then completed a Neonatology Fellowship and a Neonatal Hemodynamics fellowship at the internationally recognized program at the University of Iowa. Her research interest includes patent ductus arteriosus physiology, cerebral AV malformations and the use targeted neonatal echocardiography to manage care.
México City
Dr. Daniel Ibarra Ríos works as a neonatologist in Mexico City . He completed his medical school at the National Autonomous University (UNAM), pediatric residency at Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (HIMFG)/UNAM, and his neonatal- fellowship at HIMFG/UNAM. He trained in TnECHO at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in 2016. Currently he runs the Hemodynamic consultation and Point of Care Ultrasound Program at the National Institute of Perinatology, Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes in Mexico City. He is the president of the Neonatal Association of Mexico City and the Valley of Mexico where he coordinates educational activities in Neonatal Hemodynamics and POCUS. Dr. Ibarra research interests are hemodynamics of critically ill neonates integrating cardio-pulmonary physiology and functional echocardiography; he is also interested in lung and head ultrasound of the critically ill neonate.
Querétaro, México
Carolina completed her Neonatology training at Instituto Nacional de Perinatología in Mexico City, and a fellowship in Neonatal Hemodynamics and Clinical Research at Montreal Children's Hospital (McGill University). Her research interests include NIRS in congenital heart disease, the preterm heart and pulmonary vein stenosis. Currently, she is an attending neonatologist at Hospital Ángeles Centro Sur, Querétaro, México.
Dublin, Ireland
Dr. Aisling Smith was awarded a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) in Neonatology by the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland in July 2023 and is completing a neonatology fellowship in King’s College Hospital, London, UK. In 2021 she completed a National Children’s Hospital Foundation/Health Research Board funded PhD encompassing prospective observational studies of myocardial function and pulmonary haemodynamics in various neonatal populations including infants born with Down Syndrome, infants conceived through assisted reproductive techniques and infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.
Cork, Ireland
Dr. Neidin Bussmann graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 2011, received her MRCPI in Paediatrics in 2015 and Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in Neonatology in 2022. Neidin was awarded a PhD for her research entitled “A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of Early Targeted Patent Ductus Arteriosus Treatment Using a Risk Based Severity Score (The PDA RCT)” in 2020. She is currently a Consultant Neonatologist in Cork University Maternity Hospital where she continues to train future neonatologists in the field of Neonatal Haemodynamics.
Professor Dempsey is the inaugural Horgan Chair in Neonatology at University College Cork, a Neonatologist at Cork University Maternity Hospital and is clinical lead at the INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork. He has a number of Higher Degrees, including a doctorate for work on Hypotension in the preterm infant, an MSc in Health Care Ethics and Law and an MA in Teaching and Learning. He supervises a number of PhD students and junior doctors on many aspects of newborn medicine including cardiovascular support, the newborn microbiome and delivery room stabilisation.
Liverpool, UK
Dr. Elaine Neary is a consultant neonatologist at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in Liverpool, UK, an honorary clinical lecturer at University of Liverpool and a NIHR research scholar. She completed her medical school at Trinity College Dublin in 2007. Since she has completed dual paediatric and neonatal training in Ireland and Canada where she undertook a neonatal-perinatal fellowship and targeted neonatal echocardiography training at the University of Toronto. She completed a PhD with RCSI in 2016, masters in health management services in 2012 and postgraduate diploma in statistics and a certificate in medical education in 2011 and 2017 respectively.
Dr. Nim Subhedar is a consultant neonatologist at Liverpool Women’s Hospital in Liverpool, UK, and Clinical Lead for the Cheshire & Merseyside Neonatal Network. He qualified from the University of Bristol in 1988 and trained in Bristol, Brisbane and Liverpool. He has undertaken an MD in the field of neonatal pulmonary hypertension and inhaled nitric oxide therapy. His clinical and research interests include neonatal cardiology and neonatal echocardiography in general and, specifically, patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary hypertension and inhaled nitric oxide therapy. Until recently he chaired the European Inhaled Nitric Oxide Registry. He is a co-investigator on the UK Baby OSCAR Trial of early selective treatment of PDA in preterm infants.
Glasgow, Scotland
Neil is a Consultant Neonatologist at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow. He trained in neonatology at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia and the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK.Neil is a Senior NHS Research Scotland Fellow, Scottish Quality and Safety Fellow, and Clinical Innovation Lead for the West of Scotland Innovation Hub. Neil has specialist clinical and research interests in neonatal haemodynamic assessment and management, including in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Neil leads local and international collaborations, including within the CDH Euro-consortium and International CDH Study Group. His other interests include Family Integrated Care, and clinical innovation including asynchronous video for remote care and non-invasive physiological monitoring.
Dr. Anne Marie Heuchen is a Consultant in neonatal medicine with the Royal Hospital for Children and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. Dr. Heuchan has a strong interest in neonatal echocardiography, structural and haemodynamic assessment and its relationship to clinical interventions and the impact on cerebral perfusion (NIRS).
Wishaw, UK
Dr. Mahmoud Montasser is a consultant neonatologist at University Hospital Wishaw, a transport consultant neonatologist at ScotSTAR regional neonatal transport team for West of Scotland, UK and honorary clinical senior lecturer at university of Glasgow. Dr. Montasser completed medical school in Egypt andpediatric training (neonatal subspeciality) in the UK. He completed his formal training in Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography (NOPE) including basic and advanced functional echocardiography during his final 2 years in collaboration with the pediatric cardiology and neonatal departments at The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. Dr.Montasser’s main special interests and areas of research are neonatal hemodynamic assessment, cardio-pulmonary vascular transition and disease, functional echocardiography and lung ultrasound as part of point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) in neonates.
Manchester, UK
Dr. Arin Mukherjee took up the consultant post at Saint Mary’s Hospital in 2014 after completing higher specialist training (CCT in Neonatology) in the UK. His primary areas of expertise include functional echocardiography, regional circulation and neonatal haemodynamics. Dr Mukherjee holds a Senior Lecturer position with the University of Manchester and is the Divisional research lead for new-born services. Dr Mukherjee is accredited in Congenital Heart Disease Echocardiography by European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, endorsed by European Society of Cardiology.
London, UK
Dr. Sujith Pereira is a consultant neonatologist at Homerton University Hospital, London, UK and an honorary senior clinical lecturer at the Queen Mary University of London. He obtained his PhD in neonatal cardiovascular pathophysiology from the Queen Mary University of London. His main areas of interest and research are pulmonary hypertension phenotypes, neonatal hypotension, neonatal cerebral blood flow, functional echocardiography and designing and producing neonatal flow phantoms.
Aarhus, Denmark
Dr. Kasper Jacobsen Kyng is a neonatologist and an associate clinical professor at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. As a clinician-scientist, his research interests are in hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, brain-cardiovascular interactions, point-of-care-ultrasound, newborn circulatory function, and cardiac function after diabetes in pregnancy. Many of these projects are international collaborations, and he is an active Council Member in the European Society of Paediatric Research Brain and Circulation sections. He is also the National Course Director on the European Advanced Pediatric Life Support courses and Head of the Central Denmark Region Committee on Health Research Ethics.
Nordbyhagen, Norway
Associate Professor Eirik Nestaas is a Consultant Neonatologist and Pediatric Cardiologist at Akershus University Hospital, Nordbyhagen, Norway, and a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Oslo (UoO), Norway. He holds the Congenital Heart Disease Echocardiography Certification issued by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), is a Fellow of EACVI, obtained his PhD in functional echocardiography from UoO 2010, his Norwegian specialization in Pediatrics 2005 and his Medical Doctor degree from UoO 1998. His main research interests relate to assessment of heart function by ultrasound in neonates and children, including effects from perinatal asphyxia, prematurity, infections and fetal growth restriction on heart function and subsequent cardiovascular health, and he is supervisor in several PhD projects within these areas. Eirik is council member of the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR), secretary of the ESPR Section on Circulation, Oxygen Transport and Haematology, chairman of the ESPR special interest group Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography and associate editor in Acta Paediatrica.
Lausanne, Switzerland
Dr. Sébastien Joye is a neonatologist with a particular interest in Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography (TNE) and its application in critical care. He is currently a staff neonatologist at the University Hospital of Lausanne and co-director of the TINEC congress and the Swiss training program in TNE. He completed his federal diploma in pediatrics in 2012 and his diploma in neonatology in 2015, in Switzerland. He then obtained a Swiss certification in TNE in 2017, and furthered his training by completing a clinical and research fellowship in TNE in Toronto, Canada between 2017 and 2019. His research interests include the application of the TNE in critical care, neonatal cardiopulmonary physiology, functional echocardiography and assessment of the PDA. He is also interested in health informatics programs for data collection and computerized prescription.
Madrid, Spain
Dr. María Carmen Bravo works as a staff neonatologist at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. She completed her training program on Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography (NPE) with Prof Nick Evans in Sydney and she finished her PhD on new approaches to treat patent ductus arteriosus in 2011. She is the leader of the NPE program at La Paz Hospital and has directed NPE courses since 2010.Dr. Bravo´s specific research interests are in the field of critical care, neonatal cardiopulmonary physiology, functional echocardiography and the assessment of brain damage with cranial ultrasonography.
Dr. Macarena G. Gozalo is Staff Neonatologist at La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. She completed her medical education and pediatric residency in Spain, and her Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography Fellowship at the University of Toronto. Dr. Gozalo has clinical and academic interest in the use of TnECHO in critically ill neonates, particularly in the assessment and management of pulmonary hypertension.
Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Willem-Pieter de Boode (Arnhem, 1966) received his doctorate degree with honours from the VU University Amsterdam. He specialised in Paediatrics (in Radboudumc and Sint Joseph Hospital, current Maxima Medical Center, in Veldhoven) and in Neonatology (Radboudumc), after which he was registered in 1999 as a Neonatologist. In 2010, he obtained his PhD at Radboud University on research into advanced techniques to investigate and monitor the blood circulation of newborns. De Boode is a paediatrician-neonatologist and staff member of the Neonatology department at the Amalia Children's Hospital Nijmegen. He is coordinator of the Radboudumc Neonatal Hemodynamics Research and Training Center and, as a former chairman and co-founder, closely involved in the Dutch working group Neonatal Hemodynamics. Willem is council member of the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) and secretary of the ESPR Section “Circulation, Oxygen Transport and Haematology”. He is chairman of the ESPR special interest group “Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography (NPE)”, which is formulating European clinical, technical and training guidelines regarding the use of echocardiography on the NICU.
Bonn, Germany
Dr. Florian Kipfmueller is an attending physician in the Department of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of the University of Bonn in Germany. He is board certified in pediatrics, neonatology, and pediatric intensive care medicine and his main scientific focus is early risk assessment of neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
Udine, Italy
Marilena Savoia is a consultant neonatologist at Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Udine and contract professor in Neonatology in the Postgraduate Specialization in Paediatrics at Udine University. She specialised in Paediatrics at Udine University in 2001, completing her neonatal specialty training in the UK. She further developed her interest in Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography (NPE) with Prof Nick Evans in Sydney (2008) and in neonatal pulmonary hypertension with Prof Steven Abman in Denver (2013). She has a Master’s Degree in Paediatric Cardiology from Bologna University (2017) and has been member of the ESPR Governance Structure on NPE since 2018. Marilena is the lead of the first edition of the “Italian Training Program in Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography”, a nationwide project developed by the Study Group of Neonatal Cardiology of Italian Society of Neonatology, in close collaboration with the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology, endorsed by the ESPR. She has been practicing lung ultrasound (LUS) in day-to-day care since 2011, exploring lungs and heart crosstalking. She is in charge of the cardiac follow-up for BPD in NICU and outpatient clinic.
Florence, Italy
Dr. Iuri Corsini is a consultant neonatologist at the Careggi University Hospital of Florence (since 2008). He received his Medical degree in 2001, completed a specialization in Pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care in Florence in 2006 and completed a Master’s Degree in Paediatric Cardiology from Bologna University in 2013. Dr. Corsini is actively involved in neonatal research, particularly in hemodynamics, lung ultrasound, and animal models of neonatal disease. He is the chair of Italian neonatal cardiology study group and, along with Dr. Marilena Savoia and the Study Group of Neonatal Cardiology of the Italian Society of Neonatology, developed the the project “Italian Training Program in Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography”; a nationwide project developed in close collaboration with the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology and endorsed by the ESPR.
Verona, Italy
Dr. Benjamim Ficial works as a consultant neonatologist at the University Hospital of Verona and is a contract professor in Neonatal Intensive Care at the University of Verona. Since 2015 he has actively participated in functional echocardiography courses sponsored by the Italian Society of Neonatology and is a trainer of the “Italian Training Program in Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography” (first edition 2021/2022). Dr. Ficial is committed to providing high quality current clinical care to newborn infants and to improving future care through research in neonatal hemodynamics and POCUS.
Dr. Martina Ciarcià is a consultant neonatologist at the University Hospital of Verona. She completed her pediatric fellowship at the University of Florence in 2021. From 2018 to 2020 she attended the Department of Pediatric Cardiology at Meyer Children Hospital and developed an interest in neonatal hemodynamics, functional echocardiography, patent ductus arteriosus and persistent pulmonary hypertension. She is currently completing a second-level short specialisation Degree in Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Diseases at Padova University.
Dr. Federica Runfola is a consultant neonatologist at the University Hospital of Verona, Italy. She graduated from Sapienza University of Rome in 2014 with a dissertation about left ventricular non compaction cardiomyopathy. In 2020 she completed her fellowship in Pediatrics at University of Turin, where she chose the neonatal intensive care branch. During her residency she specialized in echocardiography and POCUS.
Milan Italy
Dr. Gaia Francescato is a consultant neonatologist at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital in Milan, Italy (since 2014) and is a tutor for the fellowship program in pediatrics at the University of Milan. She was previously a consultant neonatologist at Filippo Del Ponte Hospital Macchi Foundation (Varese, Italy) from 2008 to 2014 and at San Paolo Hospital (Milan, Italy) in 2008. She graduated from the University of Milan in 2002 and completed her pediatric fellowship in 2007 of which inherited metabolic diseases and pediatric nutrition were her main fields of interest and research areas. In 2011 she completed a Master of Science in neonatology and neonatal intensive care, and subsequently a PhD in metabolic diseases of childhood at the University of Milan. In addition, she volunteered with national NGOs in developing countries in Asia, South America and Africa from 2000 to 2011. Dr. Francescato's principal skills and fields of interest are neonatal hemodynamics and functional echocardiography, management of congenital heart diseases, patent ductus arteriosus and persistent pulmonary hypertension. She is a tutor of the Italian certified Training Program in NPE, is trained in neonatal head and lung ultrasound, and is a certified neonatal resuscitation instructor.
Dr. Alessia Cappelleri is a consultant neonatologist at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital in Milan, Italy. She graduated from the University of Milan in 2013 and completed her pediatric fellowship at the University of Verona in 2019. During her pediatric training she developed an increasing interest in neonatal cardiology and hemodynamics. From 2018-2019 she was trained and received a certificate in basic and advanced neonatal echocardiography during a year spent working at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin. During this time she also learnt advanced neonatal echocardiography techniques such as TDI and speckle tracking analysis. Dr. Cappelleri’s research fields encompass the use of non-invasive CO monitoring and echocardiographic evaluation of the patent ductus arteriosus.
Dr. Alessandra Mayer is a consultant neonatologist at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital in Milan, Italy. She graduated from the University of Milan in 2013 and completed her pediatric fellowship in 2019. During her pediatric training she developed an increasing interest in neonatal cardiology and hemodynamics and acquired evolving skills in neonatal performed echocardiography. Dr. Mayer’s research fields encompass patency of ductus arteriosus and echocardiographic evaluation in neonatal ECMO.
Dr. Silvia Orlandini is a consultant neonatologist at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital in Milan, Italy. She graduated from the University of Trieste in 2011 with a dissertation about GUCH follow-up, then completed her fellowship in Pediatrics in 2018 in Verona where she developed a special interest in emergency medicine. Throughout her residency she built up her knowledge of neonatal intensive care, echocardiography and POCUS.
Dr. Irene Picciolli is consultant neonatologist at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital in Milan, Italy (since 2020). She was previously a consultant neonatologist at Macedonio Melloni Hospital ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan, Italy from 2016 to 2020. Dr. Picciolli graduated from the University of Milan in 2008 and completed her pediatric fellowship in 2014 with pediatric infectious diseases and neonatal cardiology as fields her primary fields of interest and research areas. In 2016 she completed a Master of Science in pediatric and developmental cardiology at the University of Bologna, Italy. Her principal skills and fields of interest are in neonatal hemodynamics and functional echocardiography management of congenital heart diseases, patent ductus arteriosus and persistent pulmonary hypertension. She has participated in developing national recommendations for the prevention of Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse. She is also trained in neonatal lung ultrasound, and she is a certified neonatal resuscitation instructor.
Dr. Roberto Raschetti is a consultant neonatologist at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Policlinico Maggiore Hospital in Milan, Italy (since 2021). He received his MD degree from the University of Pavia, Italy in 2010 and completed his Fellowship in Pediatrics from the same university in 2017. In 2018 he completed a university degree in Hemodynamic Failure of the child and the newborn at Paris-Sud University, France and in 2019 he completed his Master’s degree in Neonatal and Pediatrics Intensive Care at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. Dr. Raschetti worked as Attending Physician in the Division of Pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care at South Paris University, “A. Beclere” Medical Centre, in Paris, France from 2017 and 2020, and from 2020 to 2021 as a consultant at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Creteil, Creteil, France. His principal skills and fields of interest are neonatal hemodynamics and functional echocardiography, lung ultrasound, ultrasound-guided central line placement, and transport medicine.
Doha, Qatar
Samir Gupta is a Professor of Neonatology at Durham University, UK, and a Fellow at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University (United Kingdom). He is the Division Chief of Neonatology, Hemodynamic Faculty Lead and Training Program Director at Sidra Medicine (Children's Hospital) - the only Quaternary care neonatal unit in Qatar. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Prof. Gupta is a member of the European steering group of the Neonatologist Performed Echocardiography (NPE) and the founder and chair of the Neonatologist interested in Cardiology & Hemodynamics in the UK. He has successfully established the Q-NiCHE NPE echo training program at Sidra Medicine in Doha, Qatar. Prof. Gupta is the NHRC lead for the region Middle East & Asia.
Dr. Phani Kiran Yajamanyam is an attending physician in Neonatology at Sidra Medicine. He completed training in Neonatal-perinatal medicine in the UK in 2014 and subsequently became a fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 2016. He has worked as a consultant in perinatal tertiary/Quaternary neonatal units for the last 9 years. His research interests include neonatal hemodynamics & neonatal infection. He also has a keen interest in patient safety and is the NICU lead for patient safety.
Dr. Naharmal Soni is a Senior Attending physician on the NICU at Sidra Medicine. He completed neonatal training in the UK in 2007 and has been working as Neonatal consultant for 15 years. His areas of interest include neonatal respiratory care, bedside patient monitoring solutions and the electronic patient record. He has keen interest in neonatal hemodynamics and is part of the neonatal hemodynamic team at Sidra medicine and a trainer.
Dr. Sanoj Ali joined the Division of Neonatology at Sidra Medicine in February 2018. He worked at the Royal Hobart Hospital in Australia as a consultant neonatologist before joining Sidra Medicine. He has a keen interest in neonatal hemodynamics and has presented in the past on the use of near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) for assessing the cardiovascular transition of very preterm infants soon after birth. The main focus of Dr Ali’s clinical research is in the field of automated oxygen control for preterm infants on respiratory support in the neonatal ICU.
Dr. Aravanan Anbu Chakkarapani is an attending Physician at Sidra Medicine. He holds an academic position of Assistant Professor in Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar. He did post-graduation training in pediatrics in India, and a Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at McMaster University and University of Toronto (Canada). His special interest is neonatal neuro-critical care and he contributes to the neonatal hemodynamic program at Sidra Medicine. He is lead for the NICU Clinical Translational Research.
Dr. Mai Al-Qubaisi is a board-certified neonatologist with a special interest in hemodynamics. She received her medical degree from Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain, and completed her residency and fellowship training at Hamad Medical Corporation and the University of Toronto. During her fellowship, she developed a keen interest in neonatal hemodynamics, specifically the use of echocardiography to diagnose and manage hemodynamic instability in premature and critically ill neonates. Dr. Al-Qubaisi is interested in neonatal hemodynamics research and studies. She is also actively involved in teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Dr. Shiran S Moore attended medical school at Tel Aviv University and completed her pediatrics residency and Neonatal-Perinatal medicine fellowship at Meir Medical Center in central Israel. She then continued to a Neonatal Hemodynamics fellowship at McGill University Health Center – Montreal Children's Hospital. Currently, she is a staff Neonatologist at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Dana Dwek Children's Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel and is building the unit's neonatal hemodynamics service. Research interests include: cardiac function and development in extremely preterm infants and hemodynamics in acutely ill neonates.
Be'er Ya'akov, Israel
Dr. Sagee Nissimov is a staff neonatologist at Shamir Medical Center in Israel. He is also the developer of the hemodynamics service at the hospital. Dr. Nissimov completed his medical studies at Tel-Aviv University with Magna Cum Laude honors. He then completed his pediatric residency and neonatal-perinatal fellowship at Shamir Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada. He also completed a neonatal hemodynamics subspecialty fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital Canada. Dr. Nissimov's clinical expertise and research interests focus on neonatal hemodynamics, sepsis, vasopressor support, and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
Pune, India
Prof. Pradeep Suryawanshi is a Professor and Head of the Department of Neonatology at Bharati Vidyapeeth University Medical College in Pune India. He completed his medical school at B J Medical College Pune and his neonatology training from Nepean & Westmead Hospital Sydney. He is also the Director of the Neonatal Hemodynamics and POCUS Program in the NICU at Sahyadri Hospital PUNE. Professor Suryawanshi research interests are in the field of Neonatal Sepsis Hemodynamics, POCUS in Sepsis & Hemodynamics in growth restricted neonates.
Gujarat, India
Dr. Mohit Sahni is the Director of the NICU and Academics at Nirmal Hospital Pvt. Ltd and the director of NfECHO academy. He completed training in neonatology and hemodynamics at Royal North Shore Hospital (under the guidance of Dr. Martin Kluckow), Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada (under the guidance of Dr. Patrick McNamara).
Newcastle, New South Wales
Perth, Western Australia
A/Prof. Andrew Gill has been using ultrasound since the early 1980s and is a founding member of the Australasian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) Certificate of Clinical Performed Ultrasound (CCPU) program in Australia and New Zealand. He has runs training program in Perth since 2003 and runs a Master’s Program in neonatal ultrasound through the University of Western Australia.
Melbourne, Victoria
Prof. Arvind Sehgal is a neonatologist and the head of Cardiovascular Research at Monash Children’s Hospital. Prof Sehgal has been using ultrasound since 2003, with formal training in cardiology (Fellowship in Neonatal Cardiology, University College Hospitals, London, UK). His current research focuses on cardiovascular adaptations in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia and those with fetal growth restriction.
Sydney, New South Wales
Dr. Tim Schindler is a staff specialist neonatologist at the Royal Hospital for Women. His areas of interest include bedside ultrasound, teaching and neonatal research. Dr. Schindler completed a PhD thesis investigating novel quantification techniques to measure brain blood flow using ultrasound in babies at risk of neurological harm.
Sydney, New South Wales
Dr. Nicholas Williams completed his neonatal fellowship at BC Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada before moving back to Australia and commencing at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital as a neonatologist. Dr. Williams completed the Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound (CCPU) training in Australia and is the current lead for TNE training at RPA. His academic interest is in extremely preterm infants.
Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Dr. Jan Klimek (MBChB, DA, DCH, MRCPCH, FRACP, CCPU [Neonatal]) is a Senior Staff Specialist Neonatologist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Westmead Hospital and a Clinical Lecturer for the University of Sydney. Dr Klimek does much of the teaching for his medical colleagues in neonatal ultrasound towards the CCPU certificate.
Dr Melissa Luig (MBBS(Syd); Dip.Paeds(UNSW); MHL(Syd); FRACP) is a Senior Staff Specialist and Head of Neonatology at Westmead Hospital. Her background includes extensive experience in Neonatal & Paediatric retrieval medicine as well as developmental follow-up of high-risk infants and she has completed a higher degree in Australian Health Law. Her long-term vision for newborn care at Westmead is as a leading centre for excellence in clinical care, sought-after training opportunities, innovative teaching methods for multidisciplinary teams including simulation technology, and answering important questions through effective clinical & benchtop research.
Dr. Mark Tracy (PhD (University of Sydney), MSc Epidemiology (London University, UK), MBBS, DCH, FRACP, DLSHTM Epidemiology (London School Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), CCPU (Neonatal) ASUM) is a Senior Staff in Neonatology and lead researcher Westmead Hospital NICU. He is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Discipline of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney. He leads two main projects, the first project explores resuscitation methods, devices and training with engineers and clinicians and the second project is predictive modelling of outcomes of critically ill babies using AI and ML on high resolution physiological intensive care data. The data science team is in collaboration with CSIRO and Sydney University AI scientists. His other work involves Perinatal Epidemiology, Point-of-care cardiac ultrasounds, NIRS cerebral blood flow in newborns, early detection & prediction of NEC. He has supervised numerous PhD, Masters, and Honours students.
Dr. Daphne D’Cruz (MBBS, DCH, FRACP, MMed [Clinical Epidemiology]) is a Senior Staff Specialist in Neonatology at Westmead Hospital and has a special interest in the long-term neurodevelopmental follow up of babies in the NICU. Her research interests include Neurodevelopmental outcomes in extreme preterm infants and interventions in improving their neuro-developmental outcomes.
Dr. Dharmesh Shah (MBBS, MD, DM, FRACP, PhD [The University of Sydney]) is a Staff Specialist Neonatologist at Westmead Hospital, qualified in neonatal functional cardiac echocardiography, with keen interest in clinical research on neonatal resuscitation of extremely preterm infants in delivery suite.
Dr. Rajesh Maheshwari (MBBS MD FRACP CCPU [Neonatal] MPhil [USyd]) is a Staff Specialist in Neonatology at Westmead Hospital and a Senior Clinical Lecturer with the University of Sydney. Dr Maheshwari's clinical and research interests include neonatal mask ventilation, thermoregulation, neonatal nutrition, neonatal functional cardiac ultrasound, and patient safety & quality issues.
Dr. Pranav Jani (FRACP, PhD, MD (Paeds), CCPU (Neonatal), M Clin Epid, MBBS) is a Staff Specialist at the Department of Neonatology at Westmead Hospital and a Clinical Lecturer at The University of Sydney. His research work includes PhD on NIRS on point-of-care monitoring of preterm infants, his special interest is in Translational research with focus on strengthening collaboration with National & International researchers. Dr. Jani holds a Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound (CCPU) and has extensive experience in cranial & cardiac ultrasound.
Dr. Archana Priyadarshi (MBBS, MD, DNB, FRACP, CCPU [Neonatal]) is a Staff Specialist Neonatologist at Westmead Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Clinical Lecturer for the University of Sydney. Her PhD work includes the role of point-of-care abdominal ultrasound in the diagnosis of neonatal bowel conditions. She has a keen interest in the haemodynamic management of complex cardiac & cardiorespiratory cases in particular management of Pulmonary hypertension, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and is fully certified (Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound) for more than 8 years.
Dr. Swapnil Shah (MBBS, DCH, DNB (PAEDS), MRCPCH, FRACP) is a Neonatologist & Paediatrician, is a Staff Specialist Neonatologist at Westmead Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Retrieval medicine consultant at the ‘Newborn and Paediatric Emergency Transport Services’ (NETS). He is fully certified (Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound) and has keen interest in functional cardiac ultrasound in critically sick newborns.
Sydney, Australia
Dr. Stephanie Boyd is a staff specialist neonatologist at The Grace Centre for Newborn Intensive Care at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She completed fellowship training in neonatology and targeted neonatal echocardiography in Toronto, Canada and is currently completing a PhD focusing on hemodynamics in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Dr. Boyd is actively involved in research and has been successfully awarded competitive grant and philanthropic funding. Her research interests include neonatal cardiovascular care, and in particular the effects of haemodynamic disturbances, including congenital diaphragmatic hernia and acute pulmonary hypertension, and their management on brain injury and short- and long-term morbidity. Dr. Boyd is passionate about better understanding drivers of cardiorespiratory illness in newborns, and how haemodynamic problems and their intensive care treatments impact upon important outcomes.
Victoria, Australia
A/Prof Sheryle Rogerson has been using Ultrasound in clinical practice since 1990. She completed a Diploma in diagnostic Ultrasound and is a board and founding member of the Australian National ultrasound certification programme, Certificate in Clinician Performed (neonatal) Ultrasound (CCPU). Her research interests are in hemodynamics and lung ultrasound.
Queensland, Australia
Dr Priyanka Kapadia is a staff specialist neonatologist at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. She completed her training in targeted neonatal echocardiography and neonatal transport at the Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. She is currently completing the Certificate in Clinician Performed Neonatal Ultrasound (CCPU). Her time in Toronto developed her interest in ultrasound education and research. She is passionate about the development of infrastructure and collaboration that supports the development of Neonatal Haemodynamics in Queensland.
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The Neonatal Hemodynamics Research Center wishes to acknowledge the uniquely brilliant career of Dr Regan Giesinger. Regan completed her training in neonatal-perinatal medicine and neonatal hemodynamics at the University of Toronto. She was appointed as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Staff Neonatologist at SickKids hospital, Toronto in 2015. Thereafter, she was appointed Director of one of the world’s leading neonatal hemodynamics programs and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa in 2018. Although quiet and humble in every encounter, Regan’s intelligence and quick thinking intimidated many. She recognized that if we are to provide the “best” care, there was an urgent need to re-engage with physiology and in providing the “right” therapy, clinicians needed to recognize the importance of diagnostic precision and delineation of the specific phenotype. Regan’s dedication to patients and their families was second to none.
Regan was an exceptional young clinician scientist, who at a very early stage of her career, achieved an international reputation in her chosen field of neonatal hemodynamics and the application of targeted neonatal echocardiography (TNE) as a critical bedside tool to enhance clinical care and research through the provision of enhanced diagnostic and mechanistic insights. Although her career was cut short, she made substantial scientific contributions including 65 original articles, 11 book chapters, and numerous abstracts. She also served as a co-investigator on several National Institute of Health (NIH) grants. Her primary research work, which characterized the relationship between right ventricular dysfunction and neurodevelopmental outcomes in term neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, was precedent setting and has laid the foundation for further investigations aimed at improving the outcomes for this vulnerable population of neonates. She also published several original contributions related to novel therapies in pulmonary hypertension, and the use of nitric oxide in preterm infants. In addition, she delivered more than 100 invited talks across the world, including the United States, Canada, Sweden, Romania, Italy, India, and the UK. She was honored with delivering the 2020 Neonatal Hemodynamics club lecture at PAS. Regan showed outstanding strength, integrity and leadership in education, training and administrative roles, and represented the very best of academic medicine. She was a member of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Advisory at PAS and was an executive member of the Neonatal Hemodynamics and TNE specialty interest group at the American Society of Echocardiography. In 2021, Regan was appointed as fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE), making her one of the few neonatologists to receive this accolade.
I would say her greatest achievement has been re-shaping the minds of so many young trainees and building the culture of the hemodynamics movement in Neonatology. Regan was a deep thinker, and time spent reflecting on complex patients, gaps in scientific knowledge or debating optimal hemodynamic care was when she flourished. Her landmark publication in the Blue Journal on the beneficial impact of hemodynamic screening on outcomes in extremely preterm babies is transformative. Sadly, Regan passed away from us after an extensive battle with cancer on May 16th, 2023. She has left behind a powerful legacy. In teaching the importance of physiology and diagnostic precision in cardiovascular care, Regan has influenced a generation of trainees and young faculty. Her contributions in the field of neonatal hemodynamics will continue to guide us for years to come.
Dr. Patrick J McNamara
On behalf of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Program, University of Iowa and
Neonatal Hemodynamics Research Centre
neonatalhemodynamics@gmail.com
@neohemodynamics
NPA: Dr. Amish Jain
Funding: Heart & Stroke Ontario Clinician Scientist (Phase II) Award
The focus of the IMPRINT research program is to improve the clinical care and reduce the burden of pulmonary heart disease in preterm neonates suffering from pulmonary hypertension. The program’s current studies are:
Prospective observational study to develop robust echocardiographic criteria for early identification of preterm infants at risk of developing chronic pulmonary hypertension PMID: 33789855 | DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044924
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (IHDCYH)–SickKids Foundation Participating sites: 6 NHRC sites across Canada, the United States & Europe
A detailed registry of preterm neonates treated with inhaled nitric oxide Funding: Mallinckrodt Investigator Initiated Research Grant Participating sites: 12 Canadian NHRC sites
NPA: Dr. Dany Weisz
PA: Dr. Amish Jain, Dr. Luc Mertens, Dr. Prakesh Shah
The main objective of this study is to develop an outcome-based definition of ‘significant’ PDA among extremely low gestational age neonates at different postnatal ages. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant Participating sites: 17 Canadian NHRC sites
NPA: Dr. Souvik Mitra
PA: Dr. Amish Jain, Dr. Prakesh Shah
The main objective of this registry-based comparative effectiveness research study is to compare the different pharmacotherapeutic practices aimed at closure of patent ductus arteriosus and to evaluate their impact on clinical outcomes in extremely preterm infants (<29 weeks GA) . Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant Participating sites: 22 Canadian sites
NPA: Dr. Joseph Ting
Participating sites: BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre & University of Iowa Stead Family
Children’s Hospital
NPA: Audrey Hebert
Participating sites: CHU de Québec-Université Laval & University of Iowa Stead Family
Children’s Hospital
Click here to read!
Case Report 7: A case of neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy and congenital hydrocephalus
Month: 11/2022
Authors: Laura Wilson, Catalina Bazacliu and J. Lauren Ruoss (Divisions of Neonatology & Cardiology, University of Florida Gainesville & Division of Neonatology, Orlando Health Regional Medical Center)
Coming soon