Hello friends  👋 What is actually happening inside the uterus during a threatened pregnancy — and does the timing of infection change everything? In this episode of At the Bench, hosts Ben Fensterheim and Betsy Crouch sit down with Dr. Kristen Noble, assistant professor at Indiana University, to explore her work building a transcriptomic and proteomic atlas of intrauterine immune responses across gestation. Dr. Noble shares how clinical uncertainty at the bedside — that impo

Hello friends  👋 In this conversation, Dr. Samer Bou Karroum emphasizes the significance of early planning and preparation in shaping one's career and future. He discusses how contemplating future paths can provide clarity and direction, even if the future remains uncertain. The insights shared highlight the importance of laying a solid foundation to build upon for future success. ---- Short Bio: Samer Bou-Karroum, MD, FAAP, is a Neonatal-Perinatal Fellow at Washington Unive

Hello friends  👋 In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jessica Shui, attending neonatologist at Mass General for Children, to explore the game-changing potential of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) in the NICU. We dive into her recent paper in the Journal of Perinatology on using non-invasive EIT to identify optimal PEEP in infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Dr. Shui explains how this real-time, radiation-free technology allows clinicians to visualize lung

Hello friends  👋 The PDA debate has a new data point. TREOCAPA, a phase 3 multicenter European RCT, tested prophylactic acetaminophen in infants born at 23 to 28 weeks. The ductus closed more reliably. Whether that translated into better survival without severe morbidity at 36 weeks is where the conversation gets interesting. Also this week: a large multicenter cohort study puts real numbers on diazoxide use across US NICUs and the pulmonary hypertension risk that has driven

Hello friends  👋 Live from the NEO Conference in Las Vegas, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Tarek Nakhla to discuss his new book, Saving Babies Behind the Doors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Moving beyond standard medical textbooks, Dr. Nakhla shares how chronicling nearly 30 years of challenging patient encounters and complex family dynamics can serve as an essential guide for new trainees. The conversation highlights the therapeutic power of narrative medicine for

Hello friends  👋 How can a database tracking 20% of all US NICU admissions change the way we practice neonatology? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Veeral Tolia to discuss his groundbreaking work with the Pediatrix Clinical Data Warehouse. Dr. Tolia dives into the power of leveraging decades of observational data to supplement randomized trials—from analyzing the 50-fold increase in Precedex usage to studying natural experiments like the vitamin

Hello friends  👋 How will artificial intelligence fundamentally change the way we chart, teach, and monitor patients in the NICU? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. James Barry to explore the critical need for "AI literacy" among bedside clinicians. Dr. Barry draws parallels between driver's education and safe AI use, highlighting the hidden dangers of automation complacency with AI scribes. They also discuss the exciting potential of computer vis

Hello friends  👋 Can groundbreaking neonatal research thrive outside of academic medicine? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Kaashif Ahmad, Vice President of Research at Pediatrix. Dr. Ahmad shatters the myth that community NICUs can't drive clinical science, discussing how everyday documentation in systems like Baby Steps quietly fuels hundreds of publications. He also unveils "The Parent Network," a revolutionary initiative designed to partner

Hello friends  👋 How does individualized medicine shape both patient trust and neonatal careers? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna catch up with Dr. Zubin Shah, Clinical Ambassador for Pediatrix. The team explores the power of tailoring bedside conversations to individual babies—whether discussing targeted hemodynamics or framing RSV prevention with nirsevimab—rather than relying solely on generalized trial data. Dr. Shah also sheds light on the evolving landscape

Hello friends  👋 In this episode, Shelly-Ann and Mbozu sit down with a few members of the Parents Neonatal Intensive Care Charity affiliated with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.  Heidi and Andrew Hutchinson, parents of a baby born at 30 weeks who is now a practicing lawyer, share how they transitioned from frightened NICU parents to decades-long advocates. June Walton and Cheryl Walrond, retired NICU nurses, describe building the first parent education sessions and