Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship

Eight blocks of NICU service; 1 block pre-attending rotation

Children’s National Hospital is a 70 bed Level IV NICU with approximately 1,100 admissions each year. Our trainees work in a multidisciplinary team setting with 24/7 attending physician on-site support. The majority of patients admitted require subspecialty medical and/or surgical care, and the fellows learn to manage high acuity patient care while gaining procedural, management and communication skills. Multiple specialty programs such as our BPD team, Pulmonary Hypertension team, Neonatal Neuro Critical Care Program and Rare Disease Institute further enrich the fellow experience. The fellows oversee residents and provide regular clinical instruction during their rotation. Our fellows also direct transport calls and provide consultation and support to referring hospitals.

Three blocks of NICU service; one month pre-attending rotation; two week perinatal rotation

The GW NICU is a level III NICU with 20 beds and approximately 3,000 deliveries per year and 400 in-born admissions per year. Fellows will gain skills in delivery room management for both routine and high-risk deliveries. They will learn to coordinate care with maternal-fetal medicine and provide antenatal consultation both during their service months and during their perinatology elective. They work in a multidisciplinary team and oversee residents with 24/7 on-site attending physician support.

Two weeks

Children's National CICU is a 26-bed unit with multidisciplinary support and 24/7 coverage by cardiac intensivists. During their two week rotation, the fellow will learn the management intricacies of complex congenital heart disease by being fully immersed into the CICU team of cardiologists, cardiac intensivists and cardiothoracic surgeons. In addition to this two week rotation, fellows participate in CICU consults regularly to understand the neonatology perspective in cardiac management.

Two week perinatal rotation

Virginia Hospital Center maintains a high-risk delivery center, and during this rotation, fellows are exposed to a private practice model of perinatal management. They participate in maternal-fetal medicine conferences, consultation and clinic visits in addition to attending high-risk deliveries.

16 clinic sessions

Fellows provide follow-up assessment of NICU graduates. They are responsible for the medical assessment, a summary and coordination of care based on the multidisciplinary assessment at the visit. They will learn key portions of the developmental evaluation and be able to better counsel families in the NICU regarding long-term outcome potentials.

Optional two-week elective

Fellows have the opportunity to rotate with the Interventional Radiology team to gain exposure to advance procedural skills. 

The Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program is part of the National Residency Matching Program and accepts fellowship applications via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Qualified applicants are notified and invited for a one-day visit to our facilities and an interview.

All candidates are interviewed by the director and at least one other member of the attending staff at Children's National Hospital and one member from GWUH.

Contact Information

K. Rais-Bahrami, M.D.
Fellowship Director
Phone: 202-476-5448
Email: [email protected]

Sylvia McGuire
Division of Neonatology Administrative Assistant
Phone: 202-476-5448
Email: [email protected]

Address:
Children's National Hospital
111 Michigan Ave NW
Washington, DC 20010
Phone: 202-476-5448
Fax: 202-476-3459

• Health, Dental, Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Annual & Sick Leave
• Disability Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Backup Child and Elder Care

A detailed summary of all benefits can be found in our Benefits Guide.

Billie Lou Short, M.D., as chief of the Division of Neonatology, is responsible for overseeing the division’s clinical and research efforts. Her background has been in the area of brain physiologic changes related to therapies such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and clinical studies in analyzing outcome related to brain injury in this population. She provides leadership on the international Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium Executive Board, which organizes and initiates multicenter quality outcome research programs across the nation.  

Khodayar Rais-Bahrami, M.D., is the director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program and Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. His major focus is to ensure that fellows are matched with mentors who will assure their success in clinical and/or bench research, while directing their long-term goals for their fellowship training. His clinical and research interest include research into the evaluation of devices being considered for use in the neonatal population, including the NIRS system for brain and enteric monitoring of oxygenation in the neonatal population, evaluation of wireless cardiovascular monitoring systems to be used both in the NICU and as home monitors, and recent investigation of a novel non-invasive cardiovascular monitor systems used to measure cardiac output, blood volume and ductal shunt in the neonatal population as well as cardiac output and recirculation measurements in neonatal ECMO population. He has mentored numerous fellows in projects in these areas and as director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program and the 2011 Children’s Research Institute Mentorship Award recipient, he continues to be committed to mentoring the research development of young fellows and investigators at different levels of training who work synergistically to answer critical questions in neonatology.

Suma Hoffman, M.D., M.S., is the associate program director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program and associate professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. She completed both pediatric residency and neonatal-perinatal fellowship training at Children’s National Hospital and then went on to serve as faculty in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine for eight years prior to returning to CNH. Her research interests have focused on using near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate hemodynamic status and cerebral autoregulation in premature infants in relationship to outcomes. More recently, she is partnering with the Advanced Signals Processing Lab to evaluate autonomic development in premature infants in relationship to respiratory outcomes. 

Nickie Andescavage, M.D., completed fellowships in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, as well as Fetal-Transitional Medicine. She also serves as the medical director of Neonatal Transport, as well as the neonatal-perinatal director of the Prenatal Pediatric Institute. Her research areas of interest include intrauterine development in healthy and high-risk pregnancies, specifically placental health and fetal-neonatal neurodevelopment, as well as the role of maternal exposures on fetoplacental health. Additionally, she has supervised medical trainees in neonatal-perinatal ethics and palliative care.

Elisabeth "Lizzie" Anson, M.D., completed both her residency training and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Children's National Hospital. She spent an additional year as chief resident prior to pursuing fellowship. She is the assistant medical director for the Neonatal Transport Team, focusing on community outreach neonatal education and advocacy for newborns at both the local District of Columbia and national level. She greatly enjoys educating and mentoring residents and fellows and is passionate about trainee wellness. She also has a specific interest in neonatal palliative care.

Sweta Bhargava M.D., FAAP, is an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Her research interest is in neonatal hemodynamics and in the use of point of care ultrasound in the NICU. In her previous post at NYU, she demonstrated the feasibility of creating a POCUS training curriculum for neonatal providers and continues with this initiative at the current institute. She has experience in using simulation, technology and quality improvement methodologies to improve procedural skills in the NICU. She is a part of working group addressing neonatal PICC practices and policies. She remains actively involved in resident and fellow education. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Echocardiography. She is a part of our nocturnal neonatal attending team.

Sudeepta Basu, M.D., focuses his research on understanding of brain injury and development using advanced magnetic resonance techniques measuring in vivo concentrations of GABA in preterm brain. He is investigating role of glycemic homeostasis in infants with perinatal asphyxia and its influence on brain injury and outcomes. He is also developing pathways to guide judicious use of antimicrobials in NICU as QI initiative. 

Kelsey Donoho, M.D., is a neonatologist at Children's National and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. She joined the faculty in 2021 after completing residency training at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California. She has expertise in point-of-care-ultrasound (POCUS) in the NICU. Her clinical research interest focuses on the use of POCUS to enhance medical care of sick infants in the NICU. She is also conducting a QI initiative to improve success with PICC line insertion in the NICU.

Natalia Isaza Brando, M.D., focuses on the study of the effect of skin to skin contact and the benefit this provides the NICU patients and their parents. She is a member of the neonatology nocturnal care team, proving oversight of the resident and fellows on the night shift. She is also the neonatal lead for the neurodevelopmental follow-up clinic. She has championed family support and education on discharge to home planning for our families and provided classes in Spanish for our Spanish speaking families.

Panagiotis Kratimenos, M.D., is a neonatologist and developmental neuroscientist whose research focuses on elucidating mechanisms of perinatal brain injury. Dr. Kratimenos studies mechanisms of injury of the developing cerebellum with the ultimate goal of developing therapeutic interventions and improve functional development.

Hallie Morris, M.D., joined the Children's National team from the Washington University in St. Louis program where she was involved in their neonatal brain research program, with plans to participate in the Children’s National clinical Neo-Neuro Program. She also has expertise in Quality/Safety methodologies and will be joining the strong QI/Safety program in the NICU. She is also one of our attendings rotating between our Perinatal Center at George Washington University Hospital NICU and CN Level IV NICU, with expertise in perinatal medicine. 

Nneka Nzegwu, D.O., M.P.H., is the associate director of quality and safety for the Division of Neonatology. Her area of interest is using quality improvement methodologies to improve the care of our patients at the bedside. Her areas of focus are preventing hospital-acquired conditions, neonatal nutrition and antibiotic stewardship in the NICU. She enjoys educating and mentoring residents, fellows and colleagues about quality improvement science and patient safety principles. 

Mary Revenis, M.D., focuses on neonatal nutrition, newborn metabolic/cardiac screening programs, immunizations program and advocacy for the newborn at the District of Columbia and national level. She is the medical director of Nutrition Services in the NICU. She also collaborates with the Division of Nephrology in multicenter studies on acute renal failure in the newborn, an area that is continuing to evolve.

Lamia Soghier, M.D., FAAP, CHSE, is interested in improvement of procedural skills training in neonatology through simulation and technology, and as NICU medical director, she is a key sponsor of many quality improvement initiatives. Currently, Dr. Soghier and Dr. Okito collaborate on parental mental health projects and have mentored and supervised several resident and fellow projects. Current funding includes grants for universal postpartum screening in the NICU. Fellows interested in pursuing medical education, quality improvement or community health research projects can be mentored and supervised by her.

Simranjeet Sran, M.D., focuses on medical education for trainees and students. He recently graduated from the Master Teacher Leadership Development Program and is pursuing his master's in education and human development at GWU. He is a member of our nocturnal neonatal attending team, which oversees the NICU patient care on the night shift. He is working on developing curriculum for daily education of pediatric residents rotating through the NICU, including those on call overnight. For our fellows, Dr. Sran helps lead and develop curricula for weekly Fellow Education Sessions, Board Review, and Simulation.

Mojgan Ghazirad, M.D., graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2000. She studied pediatrics at Inova Children’s Hospital and received her neonatal-perinatal medicine subspecialty from George Washington University in 2013. She currently works as an assistant professor of pediatrics at George Washington University NICU in Washington, D.C. She is interested in delivery room management of the critically ill premature or term newborn and has been teaching the skill to pediatric residents for many years. Currently she is working on quality improvement projects such as developing an effective algorithm for diagnosing and preventing early onset sepsis in newborn.

Beri Massa-Buck, M.D., earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2011. She then went on to complete her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2014 followed by neonatal-perinatal fellowship in 2017 at Children’s National Hospital. Dr. Massa-Buck is now an attending physician and associate program director of Children’s National Hospital Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship at George Washington University Hospital. Dr. Massa-Buck’s clinical and research interests include early detection of microorganisms in neonates with suspected sepsis and health status disparities among maternal and neonatal health. She enjoys teaching and mentoring neonatal-perinatal fellows and pediatric residents.

Lauren Miyares, M.D., earned her medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2016. She then went on to complete both her pediatric residency and neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Children’s National in 2019 and 2022, respectively. Dr. Miyares' academic interests are rooted in medical education, and she currently serves as the GW NICU rotation director for the Children's National pediatric residency program.

Shantanu Rastogi, M.D., is the medical director of GWU Hospital Newborn Services and professor of Pediatrics at GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He received his neonatal and perinatal training at Columbia University-New York Presbyterian Hospital. He has worked over the last 25 years at Presbyterian Hospital/Maimonides Medical Center, NY and has been involved with patient care, teaching and clinical research. He received the Best Teacher Award and the Faculty Mentor for many years. His research interests are in the areas of noninvasive ventilation, especially use of bubble CPAP and neonatal nutrition. View his publications.

Rebecca Lundberg, M.D.
Medical School: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Residency: Eastern Virginia Medical School/Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters
Why Children’s National: There are many reasons why I chose Children's National to continue my education in the field of neonatology! First and foremost was the faculty who are incredibly knowledgeable in their field, experts in neonatal ECMO and truly lovely individuals who are dedicated to our education. Children's National sees a wide variety of pathophysiology and we get exceptional education in a variety of disease processes. Our program provides opportunities for autonomy and the ability to work alongside exceptional nurse practitioners, transport nurses and residents!  
Research Interest: Nutrition and its impacts on the developing premature brain.
Fun Fact: My husband is one of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellows and we live with a super spoiled Olde English Bulldog named Birdie!

Richelle Reinhart, M.D.
Medical School: University of South Florida
Residency: Case Western
Why Children’s National: I wanted to be at a large, Level-IV NICU that provided great experience in procedures and a broad-range of diseases. I loved my co-fellows that I met on my interview day and knew I would fit in well! I also had great discussions during my interview with attendings and leadership who offered to help in my research pursuits and made me feel that I would be well-supported.
Research Interest: Quality Improvement & Patient Safety
Fun Fact: I'm originally from Florida, but I grew up doing competitive ice skating all of my life!

Lisa Wallace, M.D.
Medical School: Thomas Jefferson Medical School
Residency: Children’s National/GWU
Why Children’s National: From my experience at Children’s during residency, I knew that our NICU would offer a rich clinical experience taking care of the sickest neonates with a wide variety of pathologies. Children’s National also provided the opportunity to develop my research interests with the support of like-minded mentors.  
Research Interest: Trauma-informed Care in the NICU, NICU parent resilience and psychological stress 
Fun Fact: Before deciding to be a doctor, I wanted to be a professional ballerina!

Leah Harburg, M.D.
Medical School: New York Medical College
Residency: Children’s National Hospital
Why Children’s: I was a resident here and got to see first-hand the wide variety of patients in the NICU. From bread and butter to the most complicated, we get to take care of and learn from all types of patients. I also love the friendly atmosphere and getting to working closely with other disciplines.
Research Interest: Neuro-NICU
Fun Fact: If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a party planner!  

Kyra Solowey, M.D.
Medical School: New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Residency: New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Why Children’s: I was drawn to the diversity of clinical opportunities that the program offers. I am excited to train at both a dedicated children’s hospital with a team of incredible subspecialists, surgeons and pediatric support and at an academic medical center with deliveries and a level III NICU. I grew up in the area, and I chose Children's National so I could be surrounded by the love and support of my family throughout fellowship. It's great to be back in D.C.!
Research Interest: Public health, infection prevention
Fun Fact: I love to cook and bake, and I have a cat named Babka after one of my favorite NYC treats!

Tamiko Younge, M.D.
Medical School: University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine
Residency: Children’s National Hospital
Why Children’s: Amazing range of pathologies and lots of clinical autonomy.
Research Interest: Long-term outcomes in NICU graduates, palliative and concurrent care, children with complex medical needs, medical informatics
Fun Fact: I used to play competitive Ultimate Frisbee.