Overview With more than 1,000 admissions a year, Stony Brook Children's Division of Neonatology is the region's premier facility for the expert care of premature and critically ill newborns. We are a New York State Department of Health designated Level 4 (most advanced) Regional Perinatal Center with a state-designated Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) — also the most advanced, offering excellent care in neonatal and perinatal medicine. We are also the hospital of choice for high-risk mothers and pregnancies that have already been diagnosed as needing neonatal services.

In 2011, Stony Brook Children's opened a new state of the art NICU and Labor & Delivery areas to provide more advanced patient care, a quieter and more private environment, and improved access for families. The renovation not only places all women’s and infants’ services in one convenient location, but they were also designed to promote optimal healing and family bonding.

Features of this new facility include:

• The first all-private NICU in New York State. Babies now have their own rooms, which allows the nursing staff to better control the environment — for example lighting, noise and temperature — to best meet each individual baby’s needs. This also allows families to bond and parents to spend private one-to-one time with their child. Ongoing studies point to the health benefits of private NICU rooms, and within the next decade this will most likely become the NICU standard.
• Increased capacity. The NICU has grown from 40 beds to 46 beds, a 15 percent increase, in order to provide care for even more of the smallest and sickest babies in the region.
• A new Labor & Delivery Suite, with 10 labor suites, private baths and private recovery rooms.
• Expanded maternity urgent care capacity — including three state-of-the-art operating rooms adjacent to the labor suites and a dedicated anesthesiologist 24/7–that can deal with any type of obstetric emergency.

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Contact UsIf you are likely to give birth prematurely or have been diagnosed with a pregnancy that will require neonatal care, you can schedule a pre-birth visit by calling (631) 444-7653. On the visit you can meet with our neonatologists and other consultants (pediatric surgeons, cleft palate team, genetics, nephrologists, cardiologists, hematologist-oncologists, and others) depending on the infants needs at birth to discuss the expected care for your baby.

Neonatology OfficesHealth Science Center Building, 11th Floor, Room 060
Division of Neonatology/Department of Pediatrics
Stony Brook Long Island Children's Hospital, Stony Brook, NY 11794
Phone: (631) 444-7653
Fax: (631) 444-9142

A NICU tour is also available to familiarize expectant families with the equipment, where the infant will stay, and to answer all your questions. Tours can be scheduled by calling the unit at (631) 444-2000/2001 and speaking with charge nurse.

Our NICU is located on Level 5 of the Hospital adjacent to the Labor & Delivery Suite.

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Our TeamThe neonatal team includes seven BC/BE neonatologists, six neonatal fellows, seven nurse practioners, more than 110 dedicated NICU nurses, a discharge co-coordinator, chaplain services, respiratory therapists, social workers, nutritionists, radiologists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and technicians — all of whom are dedicated to delivering compassionate, family-centered, and medically advanced care to the smallest and sickest babies. The Division offers 24 /7 in-house coverage by a BE/BC neonatologist who works together with the in-house maternal and fetal medicine faculty to provide around –the-clock attending coverage.

In addition, all of our board-certified neonatologists are faculty of the Stony Brook University School of Medicine, which means that they remain on the leading edge of advancements in their areas of expertise. Many of our doctors are also involved in bench and clinical research.

Links to physician biosShanthy Sridhar, MD - Division Chief
Joseph DeCristofaro, MD
Sherry Elaine Courtney, MD
Avinash Chander Jerath, PhD
Aruna Parekh, MD
Jennifer Pynn, MD
Shetal Shah, MD
Jila Sharif, MD
Esther Speer, MD

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Services:Neonatal Transport Team.For babies born at other level I and II hospitals in our region and infants who need a higher level of intensive care, transportation to Stony Brook's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is provided. Our transport team is staffed by neonatal medical professionals specially trained in handling neonatal transports who travel to the referring hospital, stabilize the baby, and then transfer the baby into our NICU.

To view our Neonatal Transport Team Instructive Video, click here.

Pediatric Neurosurgery.Stony Brook is the only academic medical center in Suffolk County to offer pediatric neurosurgical services. Whenever possible, we use the least invasive surgical approach, which helps speed recovery, limit trauma and promote healing. In the case of a diagnosis such as arterio-venous malformation, which previously was treated by open surgery, we may be able to treat it without surgery at all.

Perinatologists Available 24/7.Stony Brook is the only hospital in Suffolk County to have in-house Perinatologists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to obstetric emergencies. This helps ensure safe deliveries and immediate expert treatment during a baby's critical first few hours.

Affiliated Programs

Neonatal Follow-up Program. Because many of the infants in the NICU need further medical care and close observation after discharge, the division coordinates a high-risk clinic for NICU graduates. All high-risk follow up patients are seen regularly to ensure continued developmental progress and appropriate interventions to keep them on track. Our NICU follow up clinic is located in 37 Research Way, Setauket NY. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (631) 444-KIDS.

Neonatal Infant Apnea Program. The Infant Apnea Program at Stony Brook Children’s provides evaluation, testing, education, and support for infants and families with the following:

• Apnea of prematurity
• Apnea of infancy
• Infants who have experienced an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE)
• Infants with breathing disorders
• Siblings of SIDS victims In many cases, treatment includes the use of medication and home cardiorespiratory monitoring.

This is a very scary time in the life of the infant and our program offers ongoing support for parents and families. CONTACT Division of Neonatology HSC T-11, Room 060 Stony Brook, NY 11794-8111 Phone: (631) 444-3783 Fax: (631) 444-9363 For Appointments: (631) 444 KIDS Neonatologist: Dr. Joseph DeCristofaro, Medical Director, Infant Apnea Program Nurse Practitioner: Dr. Susan Katz, DNP, RN, NP Nurse: Doreen DeMegliio, RN

Selective Head Cooling Program. Stony Brook is the only regional center in Suffolk County to offer this program to term and near-term infants with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, or birth depression. Selective head cooling has been shown to improve outcomes in birth asphyxiated infants but must be initiated very soon after birth for the optimal result.

Immunization of Newborn Close Contacts. At Stony Brook, we recognize that caring for your vulnerable infant does not end when you leave the NICU. We were the first academic hospital in New York State to publish work describing the need to immunize parents against whooping cough and influenza. That's because while parents who contract these diseases may only experience mild symptoms, they can transmit them to their infant, which can result in re-hospitalization, complications, and more doctor visits.

To view Immunization of Newborn Close Contacts Instructive Video, click here.

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Patient ResourcesChildren who have been in the NICU and their families often need additional support. At Stony Brook, we offer programs to meet their unique needs.

Family Support SpecialistsThis program is sponsored by the March of Dimes and New York State, and we are one of only two NICU's in the region to have this support. Our specialists meet with families on a ongoing basis to help them in their transition to a NICU stay, which can be very traumatic. For more information call (631) 444-9321.

• Little Angel Fund. Run by a group of parents, this support program helps parents of premature infants navigate a difficult time. Its goal is to make life a little easier and more comfortable for the premature and seriously ill infants and their families. This includes support while they are in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as after they graduate from the NICU and/or return home. In addition, the program members act as a source of help and support for the bereaved. For more information call Jenny Tranfaglia at (631) 736-2512 or visit website www.littleangelfund.org.
• Car Seat Program. Ensuring the safety of infants once they leave Stony Brook is a priority, which is which is why we offer training to parents on how to install and use a car seat properly. We also offer assistance to those who cannot afford a cart seat. For more information call (631) 444-3783.

Helpful Links http://www.albany.edu/sph/coned/phl/immunizations.htm
http://blip.tv/file/2019186/

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Research and EducationStony Brook has the only neonatal fellowship program in Suffolk County entrusted by the American Board of Pediatrics to train the neonatologists of tomorrow. Our comprehensive program provides doctors with a education in all aspects of clinical neonatology.

In addition, as a Regional Perinatal Center, New York State has charged us with the responsibility of teaching smaller, less experienced hospitals how to better care for newborns in the initial minutes after birth, as they can have lifelong consequences. Our Perinatal Outreach Program educates newborn staff at these other institutions on how to handle newborn medical emergencies.

We also provide Simulation Training to our trainees to build their skills in such areas as team leadership, communication, team response, emergency care, and dealing appropriately with families.

As an academic medical center, Stony Brook has an active research program in which our physician researchers work to advance the field of neonatal medicine on many levels from laboratory to clinical trials. Here is a small sampling of what our doctors have been working on.

Selected Research Projects and PapersTitle: Lung Surfactant Secretion and Membrane Fusion (Part IV) Lead Faculty: A. Chander, PhD Funding: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Title: Trial of late surfactant for prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia: The TOLSURF study Lead Faculty: S. Courtney Funding: NIH/NHLBI

Title: A phase 2b, multicenter, single-dose, blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation, safety and efficacy trial of Stannsoporfin in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia Lead Faculty: S. Courtney Funding: InfaCare Pharmaceutical Corporation

Title: A 5-year, extension, follow-up, blinded-outcomes trial of subjects having received Stannsoporfin or placebo in clinical trial 64,185-202 Lead Faculty: S. Courtney Funding: InfaCare Pharmaceutical Corporation

Title: Non-invasive ventilation in the neonate: Evaluation of synchronized BiPAP using the Graseby capsule Lead Faculty: S. Courtney Funding: Ikaria

Title: Transport-Induced Alterations of Surfactant Homeostatsis Lead Faculty: Shetal I. Shah, MD Funding: FARE Foundation

Title: Transport-Induced Inflammation in the Lung and Susceptibility to Late-Onset Infection Via the Toll-Like 4 Receptor Pathway. Lead Faculty: Shetal I. Shah, MD Funding source: FARE Foundation

Recent faculty publicationsKahn DJ, Courtney SE (corresponding author), Steele AM, Habib RH. Unpredictability of delivered bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure: Role of bias flow magnitude and prong-nares air leaks. Pediatr Res 2007;62:343-347.

DiFiore JM, Hibbs AM, Zadell AE, Merrill JD, Eichenwald EC, Puri AR, Mayock DE, Courtney SE, Ballard RA, Martin RJ: The effect of inhaled nitric oxide on pulmonary function in preterm infants. J Perinatol 2007;27:766-771.

Kahn DJ, Habib RH, Courtney SE: Effects of flow amplitudes on intra-prong pressures during bubble versus ventilator-generated nasal continuous positive airway pressure in premature infants. Pediatrics 2008;122:1009-1013.

Engoren M, Courtney SE, Habib RH: The effect of weight and age on respiratory complexity in premature neonates. J Appl Physiol 2009;106:766-773.

Gad, A, Delon Callender, D, Killeen, E, Hudak, J, Larson, JE, Cohen, JC and Chander, A Transient In Utero disruption of CFTR expression causes phenotypic changes in alveolar type II cells in adult rats – BMC Cell Biology 10:24 (pg 1-15), 2009

Inselman, LS, Chander, A, and Spitzer, AR. Paradoxical effects of obesity on lung compliance and surfactant biochemistry in a rat model of lung development. Lung 182: 101-117, 2009

Shah, SI, Rothberger A, Caprio M, Mally P, Hendricks-Munoz K. Quantification of Impulse Experienced by Neonates During Inter- and Intra-Hospital Transport as Measured by Biophysical Accelerometery. Journal of Perinatal Medicine 2008 Vol. 36 (1): 87-92

Shah SI, Caprio M. Availability of Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine (TIV) to Parents of Neonatal Intensive Unit Patients: Secondary Effect on Healthcare Worker Vaccination Rates. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008; 29:309-313

Shah SI, Hays A, Yang A, McCarthy E. Mild Hydrops as a Feature of Glycogen storage Disease Type IV (Andersen Disease) Confirmed by Biopsy and Enzymatic Activity. Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine 1 (2008) pp 55-57.

Gad A, Shah S. Transfusion-related Hemolysis and Subsequent Necrotizing Enterocolitis in a Premature Infant with Clostridium Infection Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 2008 Vol. 1 (3) pg 197-200.

Shah S, Turcotte F, Meng H. Influenza Vaccination Rates of Expectant Parents with Neonatal Intensive Care Admission. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, Oct2008, Vol. 21 Issue 10, p752-757

Dylag A, Shah S. Administration of Tetanus, Diptheria, & Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine to Parenof High-Risk Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Pediatrics 2008;122;e550-e555

Hanono A. Shah B. David R. Buterman I. Roshan D. Shah S. Lam L. Timor-Tritsch I. Antenatal treatment of fetal goiter: a therapeutic challenge. Jour. of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine. 22(1):76-80, 2009 Jan.

Gad A, Morelli P, and DeCristofaro JD. Perinatal isolated atrial flutter associated with maternal opiate and cocaine use in a late preterm infant. J Matern-Fetal Neonat Med, 1-4, 2009

Rec C, Parekh A, Velcek F: Is Octreotide a risk factor in necrotizing enterocolitis? Journal of Pediatric Surgery Volume 43, Issue 6, June 2008, Pages 1209-1210.

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Advances and RecognitionsThe department's physicians have been recognized for their talent and expertise in a number of ways. For example, Dr. Sridhar, was named best pediatrician of 2007/08 by the consumer council. Dr. Shah was chosen for the 2008 Outstanding Leader of Medicine Award from the American Medical Association.

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