News

In this Alumni Spotlight interview, Lakshmi Katakam talks to us about her work treating patients in the largest NICU in the country at Texas Children’s Hospital, the lessons she learned as a fellow from her mentors and colleagues at Duke, and her love of nature, travel, and spending time with family.

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that keeping the hemoglobin level higher in the first weeks of life offers no advantage in survival or brain development for extremely low birth weight infants.

Duke’s Division of Neonatology and members of the Duke intensive care nursery (ICN) team continue to be at the forefront of quality improvement efforts that reduce sepsis, improve survival, and benefit the smallest, most vulnerable patients for the rest of their lives.

This week's Faculty Spotlight shines on Brian Smith, MD, MPH, MHS, associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology and Quantitative Sciences. Smith talks to us about his research as principal investigator of the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Coordinating Center. He also discusses his perception of the greatest challenges and opportunities in the field of neonatology. He talks about his two greatest mentors and offers advice for trainees.

This week's Faculty Spotlight shines on Sharla Rent, MD, medical instructor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. Rent talks to us about how she ultimately decided on a career in neonatology due to her love for the combination of intensive care and forming long-lasting relationships with families who are in the ICN for months. She also talks about her primary research interest in global health. Notably, she worked in Ethiopia and Ghana to explore provider perceptions of viability and decision making during newborn resuscitation. She also shares what she learned from her most significant mentor as well as her passions outside of work.

Agnes Chao, MD, a third year fellow in the Division of Neonatology, was recently invited to join the Robert J. Lefkowitz Society. She was also awarded the Marshall Klaus Perinatal Research Award for her work with Eric J. Benner, MD, PhD, the George W. Brumley Jr. MD Distinguished Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology, on the therapeutic potential of oxysterols in neonatal white matter injury.

Many problems can arise in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, but one common virus has been shown in a new study to increase hearing and respiratory problems, as well as extend hospital stays after birth.