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Collaboration between  and neonatology is critical to providing the highest quality care for our tiniest patients. This monthly conference is fellow-led and is a combined meeting between neonatology and MFM. Pending cases or recent deliveries of infants with congenital abnormalities are discussed. One of the MFM fellows reviews the prenatal course and management while the NICU fellow discusses the delivery or delivery plan and management of the infant after birth. Additionally, there is a brief review of relevant embryology and genetics discussion pertaining to the anomalies. 

Kentucky Children's Hospital (KCH) maintains an active Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program and is an . Fellows have the opportunity to participate in the management of neonates requiring ECMO. Each neonatal patient who undergoes ECMO at KCH will have their hospital course reviewed by the ECMO team. These cases are presented by neonatal fellows and the patient presentation, events leading up to cannulation, EMCO course, and post-ECMO course are reviewed and discussed. 

Fetal and infant deaths are reviewed by the division monthly. These conferences are presented by the neonatal fellows and advanced practice providers (APPs). During this time the patient’s prenatal, delivery, and ICU course is discussed and reviewed. Additionally, relevant literature is incorporated into the discussion to identify potential practice and quality improvements.  

Neonatal fellows are responsible for presenting journal reviews annually during their fellowship. Fellows choose a topic of interest and meet with a faculty mentor to prepare a presentation that reviews the current relevant literature. Fellows analyze the strength of the studies in regards to design, methods, statistical analysis, and conclusions. The fellow also facilitates in-depth discussion with faculty members to improve existing practice standards.

While on service, the fellows covering the APP team, resident team, and delivery/step down team attend a multidisciplinary meeting to discuss all the hospitalized infants and plan for their discharge. Key team members include: discharge planning nurses, social workers, speech therapists, physical and occupational therapists, and  staff. The meeting is designed to ensure all infants being discharged receive all services and equipment necessary to thrive in their home environment. 

Perinatal Pathology Grand Rounds – Neonatology – Pathology Joint Conference: Interdisciplinary collaboration is a key component of modern medical practice; as such each month maternal fetal medicine, neonatology, and pathology hold a joint conference to discuss interesting or unusual cases seen at Kentucky Children’s Hospital in the past few months. The conference is jointly presented by MFM fellows, neonatology fellows, and pathology residents. This allows faculty, fellows, and residents to follow a patient’s course prenatally, through delivery and throughout NICU management and ultimately to a pathologic diagnosis. These presentations illustrate the complex interaction between clinical presentations and cellular pathology.

A neonatal faculty member or a speaker from another division at Kentucky Children’s Hospital will present a topic of their choosing to the division. Topics are all relevant to neonatology and range from radiology, cardiology and infectious disease, to ethics and palliative care.

In addition to clinical training during fellowship, emphasis is placed on preparing for the . We incorporate a three year rotating curriculum board review into our conference schedule one to two times per month. Each meeting occurs on a Friday morning and is attended by all fellows and our program director, Thitinart Sithisarn, MD, PhD. 

At the start of each academic year, all fellows attend a detailed lecture series that discusses pulmonary physiology and mechanical ventilation. This seminar occurs on Wednesday mornings. This lecture series is presented by Drs. Thitinart Sithisarn, Rupin Sharma, and Nicholas Severyn. These are didactic, interactive case-based lectures that discuss key components of ventilation. Series topics include:

• Lung Mechanics
• Pulmonary Function
• Pulmonary Graphics (Loops)
• Continuous Mechanical Ventilation
• High Frequency Ventilation for Neonatal Patients
• Noninvasive Ventilatory Support
• NAVA/APRV/VTV
• Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation
• Surfactant Therapy
• Pharmacological Adjuncts to Ventilator Support

Our weekly lecture series is presented to the entire department of pediatrics. Topics are incorporated from all specialties of pediatrics. The meeting is held in our department office building at PAV A Room HA1116, and is live-streamed over the internet so that faculty and residents on service in the hospital can view the presentation as well. The conference is attended by: faculty, fellows, pediatric residents, internal medicine-pediatric residents, pediatric neurology residents, and triple board (pediatrics – psychiatry – child psychiatry) residents. Relevant and meaningful discussion is an important component of these lectures.