An expanding list of both clinical and basic research opportunities is available to our Fellows. Major clinical research interests of the current neonatology faculty include:
- the genetics of cerebellar agenesis (Pediatric Scientist Award)
- the physiology of suck-swallow-breath coordination during infant feeding (investigator-initiated award from Nellcor)
- cervical accelerometry
- gastroesophageal reflux
- predictors of brain injury and long-term neurodevelopmental disability
- pathophysiology of lung injury in BPD
- mechanisms of gut injury
- prevention of lung injury in meconiom aspiration syndrome
In the basic sciences, research of divisional members includes the epidemiological research into the putative link between oxygen exposure and childhood leukemia (sponsored by NIH), development of the hematopoetic system, development of the gastrointestinal tract, probiotic therapy, and the microbial ecology of the neonatal intestine. Members of the Division have been involved in recent multicenter clinical trials, including the ELGAN (brain injury & biomarkers) Study, Inhibitex Trial for the prevention of Staphylococcal Disease, Surfaxin trial for the prevention of BPD, and Vermont-Oxford sponsored Quality Improvement trials. There is also ongoing international collaboration with NICUs in Russia, China, and India.
Both basic and clinical research opportunities are available with members of other Divisions and Departments at MSU, including the Departments of Epidemiology, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology.
As the Subboard of NeonatalPerinatal Medicine has modified requirements and increased the emphasis on research achievement, our program has expanded the research experience for our fellows.
In the first year each fellow is asked to review the literature on a research topic, and, with faculty mentorship, develop protocols or research plans which will occupy the fellow for the remainder of his/her fellowship. Fellows are expected to be intimately involved in the design of the project, the writing of protocols, the day-to-day running of the project, analysis of data, and preparation of a formal seminar, as well as submission of results for publication and presentation at regional and national meetings.
Intramural and extramural sources of funding are available to our fellows.Consolidated blocks of time for completion of the research projects are allocated in the second and third years.Our current fellows are involved in research on the use of 16s RNA to delineate the microbial milieu of the neonatal gut, mechanisms of pulmonary injury and prevention of inflammatory lung injury, anti-proteases in the pathogenesis of meconium-induced lung epithelial injury, and genetic analysis of congenital cerebellar dysplasia.
Each fellow has a faculty member as a preceptor who meets with the fellow on a regular basis to provide ongoing evaluation of performance and help with clinical and research efforts.
At the end of each clinical rotation,
evaluations are completed by the NICU attending and then discussed with the fellow by his preceptor. In addition,
each fellow meets 2-3 times a year with the Division Chief to review progress in all areas.