Education 

• Fellowship Program
• Medical Student Electives
• Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program 

Fellowship Program

The Division of Neonatology, in affiliation with the Jean & George Brumley, Jr., Neonatal-Perinatal Research Institute (NPRI), offers fellowship training for pediatricians who wish to practice neonatology at the highest level. Our goal is to train the next generation of investigators and clinicians to improve the lives of sick newborns.

The program focuses its research efforts on the basic and clinical investigation of brain and lung injury and repair, including stem cell biology, developmental biology of the heart, brain and lungs, neonatal follow-up, health care policy, informatic biomedical engineering, and medical economics. The fellowship program strongly emphasizes individual goals and provides strong training in both the basic and clinical sciences as well as other important areas of study. The clinical curriculum takes place at Duke University Medical Center and Duke affiliated hospitals which encompass approximately 7000 deliveries per year. Duke faculty are affiliated with Duke University Medical Center, Durham Regional Hospital, and Alamance Regional Hospital, which include approximately 80 level III and IV neonatal intensive care beds and have a combined admission rate of over 1000 patients per year. The ICU at Duke will expand to 65 beds in 2008.

Individualized research training begins during the first year and may be conducted in one of the three research tracks: Physician Scientist, Clinical Scientist, and Clinical Scholar/Educator. Training can be continued as a junior faculty member in order to properly prepare fellows for successful careers as independent investigators.

More About the Fellowship Program:

• Fellowship Program Welcome
• Fellowship Program Summary
• Fellowship Program Clinical Training
       • Neurodevelopmental Follow-up and Outcomes Research Track
• Fellowship Program Research Training
       • Physician Scientist Track I
       • Clinical Scientist Track II
       • Clinical Scholar/Educator Track III

Medical Student Electives

Second Year Selective 
PEDS-224C. DEVELOPMENTAL CARE OF SICK NEWBORNS-IMPORTANCE OF TEAMWORK. This selective will introduce the student to the more "general pediatric" aspect of neonatology, namely developmental care, as well as promote the importance of teamwork in caring for premature and sick babies. Students will gain an appreciation of the importance of early intervention, both in the hospital and after discharge for high-risk infants. They will participate in the activities of the developmental team in the intensive care and transitional care nurseries and learn the important role played by psychologists, therapists and social workers in caring for these infants and their families. They will attend developmental rounds, Special Infant Care Clinic and shadow Ricki Goldstein, MD, and other members of the Developmental Team. 

Course Director: Ronald Goldberg, MD, at 919.668.1592. 

Fourth Year Electives
PEDS-426C. NEONATOLOGY. Students have patient care responsibilities and experiences in the Duke North Intensive Care Nursery. The course involves direct participation in patient care under the supervision of the faculty and housestaff. Emphasis is placed on the initiation of parent-child relationships and a pathophysiologic approach to assessment and management of the critically ill neonate. This is a sole-enrollment course and, as such, cannot be taken in conjunction with any other course.

Course Director: Ricki Goldstein, MD, at 919.681.6024. 

 

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program

The Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NNP) team at Duke University Medical Center consists of 20-25 highly motivated skilled practitioners who are committed to practicing evidenced-based care. We participate in the interdisciplinary governance of a 55-bed high acuity unit and provide medical management to critically ill and convalescing infants 24/7 in one of the top tier medical centers in the nation (U.S. News World News Report, October 9, 2008).

This dynamic group of highly motivated and skilled individuals are instrumental in the planning, initiation and monitoring of multiple successful interdisciplinary quality of care campaigns such as preventing infection, decreasing the incidence of ROP through O2 targeting, lessening the incidence/severity of NEC and minimizing the incidence of IVH. We have also presented these outcomes at national meetings and conventions with posters and podium presentations. 

Our team collaborates with the Duke School of Nursing on many levels: classroom lectures, research, assisting with skills labs, and precepting both neonatal nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialist students. Additional educational offerings are conducted for members of Life Flight, our medical center’s transport team. 

Ample opportunity exists for professional development which includes neonatal research, community outreach, and the development of specialized areas of expertise and interest. In addition, tuition support is available for continued education in the Duke University School of Nursing Doctoral of Nursing Practice or Post Masters certificate programs. 

The Neonatal Division invites you to join our team. For more information please contact:

The NNPs are part of the ACP (Advanced Clinical Practice Department) in the Duke Hospital. Visit the Advanced Clinical Practice website for more information regarding open NNP positions.

More About the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) Program:

• Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Staff
• Nursing Staff Highlights
• Duke School of Nursing