Send us a Text Message. In this exciting episode of The Incubator podcast, hosts Ben and Daphna Barbeau dive into the promising world of artificial intelligence (AI) in neonatology. They are joined by special guests Dr. James Barry, medical director of the University of Colorado Hospital NICU, and Dr. Ryan McAdams, professor and chief of the Division of Neonatology and Newborn Nursery at the University of Wisconsin. Both guests are co-chairs of the Steering Committee for NeoMind AI, a...

Send us a Text Message. In this episode, Mbozu and Shelly-Ann are joined by Dr. Clyde Cave and Dr. Gillian Birchwood. The conversation explores the neonatal care in Barbados, focusing on the challenges faced and the incremental changes made to improve the care provided. Dr. Cave and Dr. Birchwood provide an overview of the NICU in Barbados, the early years of the NICU, human resource development, financial challenges and fundraising, dealing with pushbacks, and internal pushback with changing...

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of The Incubator Journal Club, Ben and Daphna discuss several recent neonatology papers. They review a NEJM trial on nutritional support strategies for moderate to late preterm infants, finding no effects on time to full feeds or body composition at 4 months. Next, they discuss a study on umbilical cord blood cultures for early onset sepsis, noting good concordance with neonatal blood cultures. A Japanese retrospective study found erythropoietin use was...

Send us a Text Message. Breast Milk Enema and Meconium Evacuation Among Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Zheng L, Gai L, Wu Y, Kong C, Sun F, Gao J, Yuan W, Liu M, Jiang H, Tuo N, Yang F.JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Apr 1;7(4):e247145. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.7145.PMID: 38648060 Free article. Clinical Trial. As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter,...

Send us a Text Message. Nutritional Support for Moderate-to-Late-Preterm Infants - A Randomized Trial. Alexander T, Asadi S, Meyer M, Harding JE, Jiang Y, Alsweiler JM, Muelbert M, Bloomfield FH; DIAMOND Trial Group.N Engl J Med. 2024 Apr 25;390(16):1493-1504. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2313942.PMID: 38657245 Clinical Trial.   As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter,...

Send us a Text Message. EBNEO commentary: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)-To treat early or not with ibuprofen? Javed R, Gowda H.Acta Paediatr. 2024 Apr 30. doi: 10.1111/apa.17259. Online ahead of print.PMID: 38687140 No abstract available. As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and...

Send us a Text Message. In this intimate chat with Leah, Isabella shares her experience of her baby Lily being born prematurely at 27 weeks and being admitted to the NICU. She talks about the initial shock and the unexpected journey of having a baby in the NICU. Isabella shares her daughter Lily's journey in the NICU, from surgery to feeding challenges and extended hospital stays. She emphasizes the importance of trusting your instincts as a parent. Isabella expresses gratitude for the...

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of “At the Bench” in the Incubator podcast family, Dr. Donna Ferrero discusses her work on therapeutic hypothermia and neonatal brain injuries. She explains the development and implementation of therapeutic hypothermia as a treatment for brain injuries in newborns. Dr. Ferrero also explores the signaling pathways and early markers that can help identify patients who will respond well to hypothermia. She discusses the use of erythropoietin (EPO) and the...

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of The Incubator podcast, hosts Ben Courchia and Daphna Yasova Barbeau interview Professor Ola Didrik Saugstad, a pioneer in neonatology research from Norway. Professor Saugstad shares his journey of discovering hypoxanthine as a biochemical marker of asphyxia in newborns and his groundbreaking work on resuscitating babies with room air instead of 100% oxygen. He explains how his research challenged the long-standing dogma of using pure oxygen for...

Send us a Text Message. In this episode, Dr. Nkuranga and Dr. Hadfield discuss their journey into neonatology and their current roles in Rwanda's healthcare system. They also discuss the development of the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program in Rwanda and the collaborations and stakeholder involvement that were required to establish the program. They also share their experiences of living and working in Rwanda, as well as the challenges of balancing work and family. The conversations...

Send us a Text Message. In this packed episode of The Incubator, Daphna and I dive into a diverse range topics. We start by discussing a compelling article on bilirubin encephalopathy, exploring the relationship between unbound bilirubin levels and the severity of acute bilirubin encephalopathy in late preterm and term infants. Next, we review a study on the long-term neurodevelopmental and respiratory outcomes of infants with varying grades of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), emphasizing...

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of the Tech Tuesday podcast, Dr. Yamile C. Jackson, CEO of Nurtured by Design, shares her journey from an engineer to an innovator in the neonatal care space, inspired by her son Zach's premature birth and the challenges she faced in the NICU. Focused on improving the NICU experience for both infants and their families, Yamile developed the Zaky Hug and Zaki Zak, tools designed to provide comfort, support, and safety to hospitalized infants. The...

In this episode of the Incubator Podcast, Daphna Barbeau and Ben Courchia are joined by Dr. Rachel Fleishman, a neonatologist, writer, and advocate for narrative medicine in neonatal care. Dr. Fleishman shares her journey in discovering the power of storytelling and its potential to humanize and transform the NICU experience for providers, patients, and families alike. She discusses the importance of listening beyond the numbers and medical jargon to truly understand and empathize with the...

In this episode of The Incubator podcast, we reflect on our recent visit to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. They discuss the welcoming atmosphere and the impressive cohesion among the hospital staff, from the division chief to the fellows and coordinators. We also review a recent JAMA paper on the timing of inguinal hernia repair in preterm infants, highlighting the study's findings and implications for practice. The main focus of the episode is the upcoming Delphi...

One NICU mother’s story of resilience in the face of her baby’s multiple medical procedures. In this conversation, Leah interviews Katia Herminio, a mother of a former 24-week preemie who spent almost four months in the NICU. They discuss Katia's unexpected preterm birth experience, the procedures and surgeries her son underwent, the challenges of breastfeeding, and the setbacks they faced. Katia shares her first time holding her baby, the power of hope, and the strength and resilience she...

In this episode, Ben and Daphna review the latest research on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, optimistic vs. pessimistic prognostic communication, endotracheal tube sizing, intimate partner violence screening, and congenital CMV outcomes. They also welcome back James Roberts, the founder of the MOM Incubator, to discuss the progress and impact of his innovative mobile incubator system. As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: [email protected]. You...

In this episode of “At the Bench”, we are interviewing one of our show’s co-hosts, Dr. David McCulley. David is a neonatologist and developmental biologist at the University of California, San Diego and in this show he talks about what motivated him to build a research program investigating the genetic and developmental mechanisms responsible for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). David directs an NIH-supported study to determine the genetic mechanisms responsible for abnormal lung and...

This episode of the Incubator Podcast, hosted by Ben and Daphna, delves into the significant impact of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in neonatal care. Featuring experts from the National Neonatal POCUS Collaborative, including Dr. Yogen Singh, Dr. Maria Fraga, Dr. Shazia Bhombal, and Dr. Sai Mukthapuram, the discussion focuses on the advancements in neonatal diagnostics and care through POCUS, the collaborative's goals for standardization and education, and the future of POCUS in enhancing...

Dr. Jennifer Harling, a pediatrician and medical missionary in Burundi, shares her experiences and challenges in providing healthcare in a low-resource setting. She discusses the decision to do medical mission work, the background of Burundi and the hospital where she works, the language and cultural challenges she faced, and the improvements she has made in neonatal care. Dr. Harling also talks about staying inspired and connected, her role in medical education, and the importance of finding...

In this episode, Dr. David Kaufman discusses his interest in pediatrics and infectious disease, particularly in the prevention and treatment of neonatal infections. He highlights the challenges of antibiotic use in the NICU and the interplay between probiotics, prebiotics, antibiotics, and infections. Dr. Kaufman emphasizes the need for better quality control and standardization of probiotics, as well as the importance of consent and shared decision-making in their use. He also discusses the...

In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Blau discusses the evidence for probiotics in the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). He explains that the history of probiotics in neonatology spans almost 20 years, with meta-analyses showing a significant reduction in NEC rates. The pathophysiology of NEC is related to dysbiosis in premature infants, and probiotics aim to restore a healthy microbiome. The use of probiotics varies internationally, with...

In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Blau discusses the FDA warning on probiotics and its implications for the future of probiotic use in the NICU. He expresses mixed feelings about the FDA's involvement and highlights the need for regulation while also expressing concerns about the way the warning was issued. The debate between single-strain and multi-strain probiotics is also discussed, with Dr. Blau emphasizing the importance of using the triple strain recommended by ESPAGAN and AAP. He shares...

In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Swanson discusses the evolution of neonatal nutrition and the major tenants of neonatal nutrition that have been learned over the years. He emphasizes the importance of breast milk and the role it plays in neurodevelopment and short-term outcomes. Dr. Swanson also explores the impact of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) on neonatal nutrition and the efforts to prevent NEC through good nutrition and optimizing homeostasis. The conversation then delves into the role...

In this episode of the Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna discuss maternal mental health with Maureen Fiora, CEO of Mammha, a femtech startup aimed at revolutionizing maternal mental health care. Mammha focuses on addressing postpartum and perinatal depression by improving identification, diagnosis, referral, and treatment processes. Maureen shared her personal journey, highlighting the significant gaps in current healthcare systems regarding maternal mental health, emphasizing that less than...