Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Education opportunities and/or didactic sessions are provided for Saint Louis University undergraduates, medical students, SLU residents in Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Pediatrics/Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Neonatal Perinatal Medicine. Members of the Division participate in a variety of educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate nurses and respiratory therapists. An important educational effort is the regional perinatal education program. In cooperation with faculty of Obstetrics and Cardinal Glennon/St. Mary’s nursing leadership, the faculty regularly engage members of the medical and nursing staffs of forty referring maternal services in educational and quality improvement exercises.

The residency program in Neonatal Perinatal Medicine deserves special attention. Currently there are four GME funded positions. These individuals will be key policy, educational and research leaders of the future. Formal courses in epidemiology, statistics and physiology, intensive bedside instructions in research and close mentoring relationship with the faculty are key ingredients in this preparation.

Research Divisional research is an eclectic mix of public health, clinical and bench research. Included are understanding mother’s motivation for and obstacles to prenatal care services, examination of language and other social barriers to effective care, defining obstacles to regional education and exploring important intensive care topics such as sedation, pain control, disturbances of respiratory rhythm and treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Currently major investments of time and effort are devoted to outcomes research with a major emphasis on long term well being of NICU survivors. Bench research including iron homeostasis and pulmonary development are key portions of the Divisional research profile.

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