Role of Neonatologists

Susan Adeniyi Jones, MD has been a member of the faculty at Jefferson since 1990. She participates in the teaching program through making clinical rounds in the nursery with the fellows, teachers, participation in clinical and research conferences. She has also worked in the laboratory studying the inflammatory response in the lung and has mentored fellows in this area. Her current research involves head cooling in patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Michael J. Antunes, MD was a member of the Jefferson faculty before becoming a member of the Neonatal Division at Christiana Care. He participates in the training program through his active teaching on clinical rounds, conferences and lectures. His research on the effects of meconium on surfactant metabolism has allowed him to serve as mentor to several fellows in the past 14 years.

Hemant Desai, MD is a long-standing member of the Jefferson faculty. He is the clinical Director of the nursery at Thomas Jefferson Hospital. In that role he does a great deal of direct teaching with the fellows. He also regularly lectures and participates in conferences.

Shobana Desai, MD is in charge of the follow-up program at Jefferson. The fellows all participate in this program (Special Babies Clinic) and Dr. Desai teaches them there. Also, Dr. Desai makes rounds in the Transitional Nursery where she teaches the fellows. In addition, she lectures and participates in conferences. Dr. Desai is an active researcher and has mentored fellows in their projects.

Kevin Dysart, MD is a recent graduate of our fellowship program and joined the faculty in July, 2005. He will spend a considerable amount of time working in Dr. Shaffer’s lab. He will also make clinical rounds at the Thomas Jefferson NICU. Dr. Dysart is extremely well read and consistently received excellent evaluations for his teaching skills during his fellowship.

Carlos Duran, MD joined the Division of Neonatology at Christiana in 1998. He provides clinical care at this site and therefore teaches the fellows in that capacity. He also participates in conferences and lectures regularly. Dr. Duran is also very active in the developmental follow-up program, neonatal hearing screening program and supervises fellows there.

Katherine L. Esterly, MD no longer practices neonatology but runs the development follow-up program at Christiana Care. She interacts with the fellows in this setting and teaches them the necessary skills to perform appropriate neonatal follow-up.

Eric Gibson, MD has been part of the Division of Neonatology for many years. He cares for the patients in the Jefferson nursery. He participates in the teaching program through rounds, conferences and lectures. Dr. Gibson manages an extensive data base on SIDS. He has mentored several fellows in SIDS based research.

Jay Greenspan, MD serves as Chief of the Division of Neonatology at Jefferson. He is also Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics. In addition to these responsibilities, Dr. Greenspan carries a full clinical load. He teaches the fellows on rounds, lectures often and participates in research and clinical conferences. Dr. Greenspan’s research in respiratory physiology and liquid ventilation has allowed him to mentor many fellows in the training program. Dr. Greenspan is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.

Robert G. Locke, DO joined the division of Neonatology at Christiana Care in 1997. He is a very active researcher and has served as a mentor to numerous fellows. His interests are respiratory physiology and the impact of maternal depression on the neonatal outcome. He also participates in teaching rounds, physiology lectures, case conferences and research meetings which he actively teaches the trainees in our program. He recently was made a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.

Ursula Nawab, MD is also a recent graduate of our training program and joined the Jefferson faculty in July 2005. She will make clinical rounds at Jefferson and also will be an active researcher. Dr. Nawab is a bright and enthusiastic teacher who will be responsible for supervising and teaching fellows on the clinical service.

David A. Paul, MD is the Research Director for the Division of Neonatology at Christiana Care. He has collaborated with numerous fellows and supported their research efforts. Dr. Paul is also an active clinician and teaches neonatal fellows on rounds. He lectures often and is a frequent participant in neonatal conferences. Dr. Paul became a member of the Society for Pediatric Research in 2000.

Stephen A. Pearlman, MD has been an active teacher and researcher for 18 years. Most recently he mentored a fellow in a laboratory based research project on neonatal resuscitation. Dr. Pearlman has also collaborated with other fellows in their research endeavors. He also participates fully in the clinical care of patients at Christiana Care. He teaches fellows during clinical rounds, frequently lectures and participates in all neonatal conferences. He attends the physiology lecture series and regularly contributes to it.

Kolawole O. Solarin, MD is very interested in teaching. He initiated a biweekly conference which reviews interesting clinical cases. He teaches on rounds and regularly participates in conferences. Dr. Solarin’s research efforts focus on surfactant protein. Dr. Solarin also developed a consensus conference for the fellows.

Michael L. Spear, MD is a seasoned researcher and a member of the Society for Pediatric Research. He has mentored many fellows with their research efforts. Dr. Spear also serves as the Medical Director of the nursery at AI DuPont Hospital for Children where fellows may take electives. He provides clinical service at Christiana Care and teaches fellows in that capacity. He also lectures and attends conferences.

John L. Stefano, MD is the Director of Neonatology at Christiana Care Health System. His strong teaching skills are appreciated by fellows during rounds and conferences. Dr. Stefano, also a member of the Society for Pediatric Research has had a long-standing interest in respiratory physiology and neonatal electrolyte imbalance. He has collaborated and mentored many fellows and helped them to develop their research skills.

Wendy J. Sturtz, MD has just joined the Division of Neonatology at Christiana Care. She is a skilled and respected teacher. Her responsibilities will include supervision and teaching the fellows on the clinical service. Dr. Sturtz has collaborated with Dr. Shaffer in his respiratory physiology laboratory. She hopes to continue her research efforts and involve fellows in them.

Deborah J. Tuttle, MD has been a member of the Division of Neonatology at Christiana Care for over 10 years. She is a gifted teacher and a favorite of the fellows and residents. She teaches on rounds, at conferences and lectures. Dr. Tuttle studies the epidemiology of infections by genetic markers and has mentored fellows in her laboratory.

Thomas Shaffer, PhDand Marla Wolfson, PhD are both research mentors for the fellows. Their laboratories have been active for many years and have been at the forefront of research in pulmonary physiology.