Research: Neonatology
We care for infants throughout their journey, from prenatal diagnosis to the NICU and through their first five years of life. Our team uses the latest medical advances – including a 47-bed Level IV NICU and Texas' first TeleNICU – to deliver complex care to critically ill infants.
Our NICU is home to a comprehensive team, including renowned neonatologists from UT Southwestern. Our unique skills and expertise, combined with leading-edge techniques and technology, allow us to provide award-winning neonatal and perinatal care to children in North Texas and beyond. These attributes, along with our dedication to research, patient care and medical education, have allowed us to achieve our vision of making Children’s Health among the very best medical centers.
At Children’s Health, we believe treating the whole child is an important part of the care journey. That’s why we practice a holistic, comprehensive approach to care.
When patients come to Children's Health, they are not only getting access to our Level IV NICU, but also our more than 50 award-winning specialties and subspecialties. With experts in a range of top-ranked specialties all in the same place, there is no better place to receive coordinated, high-quality care.
From fetal heart and neurological conditions to ECMO support, patients will get all the care they need – all under one roof. Using a comprehensive care model, our expert team of neonatologists collaborates seamlessly with other specialists to provide patients world-renowned NICU care.
Specialized Areas of Care
FETAL Center
Neonatal neurology
Cardiology with a focus on fetal heart conditions
ECMO support (cardiology and pulmonology)
Collaborative Team
Nephrologists (overseeing Aquadex renal replacement therapies)
This multidisciplinary approach ensures that each infant receives personalized, coordinated care tailored to their specific medical needs, fostering optimal outcomes and enhancing the quality of care provided in our NICU.
Our neonatal and pediatric transport team is one of the busiest in the nation and the first to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) in all three modes of transportation: jet, helicopter and ground ambulance.
Conditions We Treat
- Pediatric abdominal masses
- Pediatric achondroplasia (dwarfism)
- Pediatric ambiguous genitalia
- Anencephaly
- Pediatric anorectal malformation
- Congenital arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
- Pediatric biliary atresia
- Bladder exstrophy
- Bladder outlet obstruction
- Bowel atresia
- Pediatric chronic lung disease (CLD)
- Cloacal exstrophy
- Colon atresia
- Congenital infections
- Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM)
- Congenital lung lesions
- Cystic fibrosis (CF) in children
- Pediatric cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)
- Down syndrome in children
- Pediatric duodenal atresia
- Muscular dystrophy (MD) in children
- Encephalocele in children
- Esophageal atresia (EA)
- Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD)
- Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Gastroschisis
- Goldenhar syndrome (oculo-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia or OAV)
- Pediatric head and neck lumps
- Congenital heart disease
- Pediatric craniosynostosis
- Pierre Robin syndrome (PRS)
- Pediatric edema
- Pediatric enteroviruses
- Pediatric toxoplasmosis
- Poland syndrome (Poland sequence)
- Pediatric hemophilia
- Pediatric Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)
- Pediatric high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Hydrops
- Pediatric hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice)
- Pediatric hypotonia (floppy muscle syndrome)
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (intrapartum asphyxia - HIE)
- Pediatric intestinal disorders
- Pediatric intraventricular hemorrhage and stroke
- Jejunal and ileal atresia
- Pediatric lordosis (sway back)
- Meconium aspiration in newborns
- Pediatric mediastinal mass
- Pediatric metabolic diseases
- Pediatric necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
- Newborn tumors
- Noonan syndrome (NS)
- Omphalocele
- Pediatric patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
- Pediatric persistent pulmonary hypertension
- Pediatric pleural effusion
- Pneumonia in children
- Prematurity
- Prenatal drug and alcohol exposure
- Pulmonary sequestration
- Pediatric pyloric stenosis
- Renal malformation
- Pediatric respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
- Pediatric rubella (German measles)
- Sepsis and meningitis in children
- Pediatric short bowel syndrome (SBS)
- Pediatric first unprovoked seizure
- Skeletal dysplasias and abnormalities
- Spina bifida
- Pediatric syphilis
- Tay-Sachs disease
- Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF)
- Low birth weight
- VATER syndrome (VACTERL association)
- Pediatric laryngomalacia
- Brachydactyly (symbrachydactyly)
- Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)
- Pediatric hydrocephalus
- Neonatal diabetes
- Pediatric Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS or elastic skin)
- Pediatric encephalopathy (encephalitis)
- Open neural tube defects (ONTDs)
Comprehensive Follow Up Program -- Up to 5 Years of Age
Our Thrive Program provides a medical home and neurodevelopmental assessments to ensure optimal outcomes for NICU graduates until school age.
Pediatric Insights Podcast
Learn more on about latest research and advancements in pediatric care from Children's Health experts through our Pediatric Insights Podcasts.
A Shift in NeuroNICU Care for Preterm Infants (doctorpodcasting.com) – Featured Speakers: Lina Chalak, MD and Michelle Machie, MD
Lina Chalak, M.D., is a board-certified neonatologist at Children's Health℠ and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at UT Southwestern. She is the Interim Division Chief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Children’s Health and is also Director of the Neurological Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-NICU) Program – the first-of-its-kind in Texas. Dr. Chalak specializes in the care of infants with neurological conditions, such as seizures or brain injuries.
Michelle Machie, M.D., is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in child neurology. She is an assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and specializes in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, perinatal brain injury and congenital malformations.
Improving Care and Outcomes for Neonates with Seizures (doctorpodcasting.com) – Featured Speaker: Alison Dolce, MD
Alison Dolce, M.D., is a board-certified Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist at Children’s Health and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at UT Southwestern. She’s also the Director of the Pediatric Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program and Co-Director of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Clinic. Her specialties include pediatric neurology, clinical neurophysiology and pediatric epilepsy.
Conferences & Events
Neonatal Insights Series: Essentials of Newborn Resuscitation
Friday, November 8, 2024
Arun Prasath, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Understand the role speech, Physical and Occupational therapy in neonatal care
Friday, December 13, 2024
Reid Ballard, SLP and Katy Brown, PT
Neonatal Insights Series: Effective Lactation Support for Mothers of Neonates
Friday, January 10, 2025
Dawn Schindler, BSN, RN, IBCLC
Neonatal Insights Series: Care of ELBW Infants (Extremely Low Birth Weight)
Friday, February 14, 2025
Venkatakrishna Kakkilaya, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Respiratory therapy in NICU
Friday, March 14, 2025
Andew Carrillo
Neonatal Insights Series: Nutrition in Premature Infants
Friday, April 11, 2025
Rachel Mills, RD
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Syphilis
Friday, May 9, 2025
Amanda Evans, MD - UT Southwestern
Neonatal Insights Series: Basics of Neonatal Transport
Friday, June 6, 2025
Carol Hasty, MS, RN
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal HIE
Friday, July 11, 2025
Lina Chalak, MD, MSCS
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Sepsis
Friday, August 8, 2025
Shamaila Gill, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Congenital Heart disease in neonates
Friday, September 12, 2025
William Penn Laird, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Hypotension
Friday, October 10, 2025
Abhishek Makkar, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Emergencies (Seizures/Respiratory Distress (Pneumothorax)/SVT
Friday, November 7, 2025
Sushmita Yallapragada, MD, MSCI
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Ethics: "Inadvisable or Impermissible? Refusal of Resuscitation at 24 weeks"
Friday, December 12, 2025
Becky Ennis, MD
Highlights
Pediatric Insights Podcast
Learn more on about latest research and advancements in pediatric care from Children's Health experts through our Pediatric Insights Podcasts.
A Shift in NeuroNICU Care for Preterm Infants (doctorpodcasting.com) – Featured Speakers: Lina Chalak, MD and Michelle Machie, MD
Lina Chalak, M.D., is a board-certified neonatologist at Children's Health℠ and Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at UT Southwestern. She is the Interim Division Chief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Children’s Health and is also Director of the Neurological Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-NICU) Program – the first-of-its-kind in Texas. Dr. Chalak specializes in the care of infants with neurological conditions, such as seizures or brain injuries.
Michelle Machie, M.D., is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in child neurology. She is an assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and specializes in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, perinatal brain injury and congenital malformations.
Improving Care and Outcomes for Neonates with Seizures (doctorpodcasting.com) – Featured Speaker: Alison Dolce, MD
Alison Dolce, M.D., is a board-certified Pediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist at Children’s Health and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at UT Southwestern. She’s also the Director of the Pediatric Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program and Co-Director of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Clinic. Her specialties include pediatric neurology, clinical neurophysiology and pediatric epilepsy.
Conferences & Events
Neonatal Insights Series: Essentials of Newborn Resuscitation
Friday, November 8, 2024
Arun Prasath, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Understand the role speech, Physical and Occupational therapy in neonatal care
Friday, December 13, 2024
Reid Ballard, SLP and Katy Brown, PT
Neonatal Insights Series: Effective Lactation Support for Mothers of Neonates
Friday, January 10, 2025
Dawn Schindler, BSN, RN, IBCLC
Neonatal Insights Series: Care of ELBW Infants (Extremely Low Birth Weight)
Friday, February 14, 2025
Venkatakrishna Kakkilaya, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Respiratory therapy in NICU
Friday, March 14, 2025
Andew Carrillo
Neonatal Insights Series: Nutrition in Premature Infants
Friday, April 11, 2025
Rachel Mills, RD
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Syphilis
Friday, May 9, 2025
Amanda Evans, MD - UT Southwestern
Neonatal Insights Series: Basics of Neonatal Transport
Friday, June 6, 2025
Carol Hasty, MS, RN
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal HIE
Friday, July 11, 2025
Lina Chalak, MD, MSCS
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Sepsis
Friday, August 8, 2025
Shamaila Gill, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Congenital Heart disease in neonates
Friday, September 12, 2025
William Penn Laird, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Hypotension
Friday, October 10, 2025
Abhishek Makkar, MD
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Emergencies (Seizures/Respiratory Distress (Pneumothorax)/SVT
Friday, November 7, 2025
Sushmita Yallapragada, MD, MSCI
Neonatal Insights Series: Neonatal Ethics: "Inadvisable or Impermissible? Refusal of Resuscitation at 24 weeks"
Friday, December 12, 2025
Becky Ennis, MD
Highlights
Meet the Care Team
- Lina Chalak, MDDivision Chief of Neonatology
- Sushmita Yallapragada, MDNeonatologist
- Syed Ahmed, MDNeonatologist
- Maryam Ali, MDNeonatologist
- Noorjahan Ali, MDNeonatologist
- Chelsea Anderson, MDPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Dimitrios Angelis, MDNeonatologist
- Asya Asghar, MDNeonatologist
- Kikelomo Babata, MDNeonatologist
- Nicole Bailey, MDNeonatologist
- Jesse Banales, MDNeonatologist
- ABArya Batta, MDNeonatologist
- Lorraine Bautista, MDNeonatologist
- Timothy Brannon, MDNeonatologist
- Mandy Brasher, MDNeonatologist
- DCDanielle Callaway, MDNeonatologist
- Christina Chan, MDNeonatologist
- Walter Chen, MDNeonatologist
- Melody Chiu, MDNeonatologist
- MCMary Crume, MDNeonatologist
- Riddhi Desai, MDNeonatologist
- Chadi Eltaha, MDNeonatologist
- Becky Ennis, MDNeonatologist
- LaKeitha Foster Truehill, MDNeonatologist
- Shamaila Gill, MDNeonatologist
- Roy Heyne, MDNeonatologist
- Kate Hoge, MDNeonatologist
- June Hu, MDNeonatologist
- Jawahar Jagarapu, MDNeonatologist
- Mambarambath Jaleel, MDNeonatologist
- Raj Jayanthan, MDNeonatologist
- Chelsea Johnson, MDNeonatologist
- Venkatakrishna Kakkilaya, MDNeonatologist
- Vishal Kapadia, MDNeonatologist
- Rachel Leon, MDNeonatologist
- Abhishek Makkar, MDNeonatologist
- Kelly Mazzarella, DOPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Imran Mir, MDNeonatologist
- Julie Mirpuri-Hathiramani, MDNeonatologist
- Jessica Morse, MDPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Manjula Mudduluru, MDNeonatologist
- Sujir Nayak, MDNeonatologist
- Tetyana Nesterenko, MDNeonatologist
- Eric Ortigoza, MDNeonatologist
- Rajesh Pandey, MDNeonatologist
- Christine Pazandak, MDNeonatologist
- Arun Prasath, MDNeonatologist
- Shalini Ramachandran, MDNeonatologist
- TSTavleen Sandhu, MDNeonatologist
- Marina Santos Oren, MDNeonatologist
- Lisa Scheid, MDNeonatologist
- Joseph Schneider, MDPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Jack Seidel, MDPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Philip Shaul, MDNeonatologist
- Julide Sisman, MDNeonatologist
- Muraleedharan Sivarajan, MDPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Kaili Stehel, MDPediatrician Newborn Medicine
- Katherine Stumpf, MDNeonatologist
- Myra Wyckoff, MDNeonatologist
- Jackie York, MDNeonatologist
- EAElie Abu Jawdeh, MD, PhDNeonatologist
- AGAubrey Graham-West, PA-CPhysician Assistant - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Ashleigh Jones, PA-CPhysician Assistant - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Sandra Joshua, PA-CPhysician Assistant - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- MMMegan McGill, PA-CPhysician Assistant - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Emily Morris, PA-CPhysician Assistant - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Mhylee Allen, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Courtney Campbell, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- JCJessica Cox, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Kyle Damron, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- LDLebanon David, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- TDTimothy Davis, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- Andreya France, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Tara Gant, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- David Haggard, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- THTeri Hardin, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- SHSarah Holdman, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- LILee Ann Irion, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Melissa Jansen, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Crystal Kornak, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Medra Lacy, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Kathleen Lirette, APRN, NNPNurse Practioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Stephanie Matthews, APRNNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Maricel Maxey, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- MMMeagan Mooney, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Ana Morales, APRN, PNP-PCNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Adam Phillips, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- RPRenea Powell, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- MPMileena Pratt, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Anna Puentez, APRN, PNP-PCNurse Practitioner - Thrive
- SRSarah Ragsdale, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Emily Reed, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Sara Roberts, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- SRSuzanne Roberts, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- TRTammie Rodaway, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Nikki Sanchez, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- NSNicole Sears, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- DSDebra Stevens, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine
- Jerithea Tidwell, APRN, PNP-PC, PCNSNurse Educator
- KTKarley Townsend, APRN, NNPNurse Practitioner - Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine