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

Hello friends  👋 When parents fundamentally disagree on life-saving interventions in the delivery room, how do clinical teams decide the next step? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Mark Mercurio, Executive Director of the new Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Mercurio dissects a highly complex ethical case regarding parental disagreement over resuscitation at the border of viability. Emphasizing the distinction be

Hello friends  👋 Join Ben and Daphna live from the NEO Conference as they welcome the 2026 Legends in Neonatology Award recipient, Dr. Waldemar "Wally" Carlo. In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Carlo discusses the driving forces behind his enduring passion for clinical care and the critical need for robust bedside research. They explore how full-time clinicians can actively shape the research agenda by turning everyday diagnostic uncertainties into innovative trials. Dr. Ca

Hello friends  👋 Does our fear of necrotizing enterocolitis do more harm than good? In this live episode from the Neo conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Ariel Salas to challenge the "culture of fear" surrounding neonatal nutrition. Dr. Salas argues that while we obsess over ill-defined NEC risks, we may be sacrificing the proven benefits of early feeding on sepsis reduction. From the emotional weight of "wasted" breast milk to the "illusion of control" provided by

Hello friends  👋 Live from the Neo Conference in Las Vegas, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Zach Anderson from Winnie Palmer Hospital to demystify the integration of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in the NICU. Moving beyond the intimidation of complex cardiac scans, Zach explains why starting with "pinch points" like vascular access or bladder volume can revolutionize bedside decision-making. From the SAFER protocol to managing the agitated infant on ECMO, this episode ex

Hello friends  👋 In this live episode from the Neo Conference in Las Vegas, we welcome back Dr. Souvik Mitra to unpack the evolving landscape of PDA management in extremely preterm infants. We dive into the recent AAP guidelines recommending against early medical treatment and explore potential unintended consequences, including rising transcatheter closure rates and delayed intervention. Dr. Mitra shares his institution's approach using the SMART-PDA criteria, highlighting

Hello friends  👋 In this special double episode of Beyond the Beeps, we're marking ROP Awareness Week with a full look at Retinopathy of Prematurity — from the medical side to the deeply human side. First, Dr. Faizah Bhatti walks us through what ROP is, its causes, risk factors, stages, and treatment options, while emphasizing why parental advocacy and regular follow-ups are so critical for premature infants. Then, Leah MG Jayanetti sits down with Tyronza Williams, who share

Hello friends  👋 In this week’s journal club episodes, we review several interesting and important studies in neonatal medicine. Ben and Daphna start with a provocative echocardiography study out of Edmonton showing that standard chest compressions in newborns likely target the right heart and great vessels, not the left ventricle. A small sample size, but a finding that anyone who ultrasounds hearts all day will instantly recognize. Daphna presents a retrospective multicent

Hello friends  👋 In this episode, Dr. Meghan Rowe discusses her journey as a POCUS fellow at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital. She shares her experiences with a quality improvement project aimed at improving surfactant administration for neonates with respiratory distress syndrome. The conversation covers the importance of mentorship, the challenges of implementing new practices, and the perspectives of nursing staff and parents. Dr. Rowe emphasiz

Hello friends  👋 In this episode of At the Bench, hosts Misty Good and Betsy Crouch welcome Dr. Bunmi Olaloye, a neonatologist and physician scientist at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Olaloye shares her path from an early interest in engineering to focusing on necrotizing enterocolitis and spontaneous intestinal perforation in preterm infants. She discusses her research into early life immune development using mass cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing, revealing distinct

Hello friends  👋 Dr. Sheri Fink, Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for The New York Times  and author of Five Days at Memorial , joins us for a compelling discussion on the ethics of survival. Dr. Fink, an MD-PhD, discusses her recent article "Noah is Still Here," which chronicles one family's journey with Trisomy 18—a condition once universally deemed incompatible with life. She and Eli explore the shifting paradigms of care, the tension between medical prognosis and par

Hello friends  👋 In this premiere episode of On with Von, The Incubator launches an exciting new collaboration with the Vermont Oxford Network (VON). Hosts Dr. Ben Courchia and Dr. Daphna Yasova Barbeau sit down with Dr. Roger Soll, President of VON, and Dr. Bob White, a pioneer in NICU design, to explore the critical "Evidence to Practice" gap in the NICU environment. Moving beyond simple neuroprotection, the conversation dives into neuropromotion, examining the impact of l

Hello friends  👋 How much oxygen is enough when resuscitating extremely preterm infants? This week on The Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna explore the TORPIDO 30/60 trial comparing 60% versus 30% FiO2 at birth. While primary outcomes were similar, babies in the 60% group needed fewer chest compressions and less epinephrine—a signal worth discussing. They examine an Indian non-inferiority study on surfactant thresholds (40% vs 30% FiO2), where waiting until 40% meant signifi

Hello friends  👋 Dr. Naiza Ngowo Monono, the sole pediatrician at Limbe Regional Hospital in Cameroon for nearly a decade, shares how she reduced neonatal mortality to 16 per 1,000—well below the national average. Key interventions included implementing hygiene protocols, training staff on danger sign recognition and neonatal resuscitation, task-shifting responsibilities to nurses and general practitioners, scaling Kangaroo Mother Care, and partnering with UNICEF to train re