Neonatal Medicine

Looking for a
Neonatal Medicine Fellowship Program?

The University of Louisville Division of Neonatal Medicine is affiliated with Norton Children's Hospital, the largest freestanding children's hospital in Kentucky.  Neonatal academic physicians and nurse practitioners working for Norton Children's Medical Group are comprised of board certified neonatal-perinatal specialists engaged in clinical care, education, advocacy and research.

The neonatal academic division is made up of 24 neonatologists, 1 neonatal nurse practitioner who has a doctorate of nursing, 8 fellows, a neonatal Follow-up outpatient clinic (Norton Children's Medical Group - Neonatology), a PhD clinical psychologist, and 2 administrative staff.  Neonatologists are available for prenatal and postnatal consultation, attendance at high-risk delivery, ongoing patient care and routine newborn care at the request of pediatricians or obstetricians.  These physicians are on the medical staff of and care for infants at 10 Kentucky and Indiana hospitals.

Norton Children's Hospital
The Division of Neonatal Medicine academic physicians direct the level four Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at Norton Children's Hospital providing a full range of neonatal intensive care services, including:

  • pediatric surgery
  • cardiovascular surgery
  • neuro-NICU
  • nitric oxide therapy
  • high frequency jet ventilation
  • high frequency oscillatory ventilation, and
  • extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

A high level transport service brings babies to Norton Children's Hospital from southern Indiana and throughout Kentucky.

University of Louisville Hospital
The Division of Neonatal Medicine academic physicians direct the level three Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at the University of Louisville Hospital.

Baptist Health Louisville
The Division of Neonatal Medicine academic physicians direct the level 2B Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at Baptist Health Louisville.

Around the State
In addition to providing neonatal care in the Louisville area, the Division of Neonatal Medicine physicians also direct Neonatal Intensive Intensive Care Nurseries at Baptist Health Paducah in Paducah, Kentucky and at Baptist Health Hardin in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.  Providing neonatal care in Paducah and Elizabethtown allows for greater options in newborn care for infants and their families.  In many cases, this allows babies to be kept close to their homes, families and primary care physicians. 

After the NICU
The Division of Neonatal Medicine, in partnership with Norton Children’s Medical Group, also directs a high-risk infant follow-up program providing developmental care and evaluation for infants at risk of developmental delay, growth failure, and medical complications related to the neonatal period.  Services are provided in outpatient settings in the Novak Center for Children’s Health and Norton Women’s and Children’s St. Matthews campus, as well as in outreach clinic sites throughout Kentucky.  Depending on the needs of the child, infants may be seen up to the age of 3 years.  For patients with complex medical needs, the Norton Children’s Medical Group-Neonatology outpatient clinic also provides multi-disciplinary follow up with other Pediatric sub-specialists within the Department of Pediatrics including Neurology, Cardiology, and Pulmonology.  The Norton Children’s Medical Group-Neonatology staff includes neonatologists, a developmental psychologist, pediatric nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, and physical, occupational and speech therapists.  These specialists have specific knowledge and interest in high-risk infant development. 

Research
The academic physicians and trainees participate in exciting research to improve the care for the tiniest and/or sickest of infants, ranging from NIH supported research in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal, industry sponsored clinical trials, extramural-funded Health Services Research as well as participating in other areas of exploration. 

Training
The education and training of future neonatologists is of utmost importance to the division, which participates actively in medical student and resident education and maintains a fellowship program. Continuing education is a high priority for the division, with the faculty participating in many local, regional, national, and international scientific and educational presentations.

Advocacy
The Division has a history of leading advocacy efforts benefitting the maternal-infant dyad. Recently, the Division of Neonatal Medicine has formalized its advocacy efforts, in an attempt to impact policies at the local, state and national level, while focusing on health inequities found within our society.

Academic Office
571 S. Floyd Street, Suite 342, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-3830
P: 502-852-8470  F: 502-852-8473


Outpatient Practice
Neonatal Follow-Up
Novak Center for Children's Health
411 E. Chestnut, Level 2, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
P: 502-588-0982  F: 502-588-0987

 

Faculty

Scott D. Duncan, MD, MHA, FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics
Rounsavall Endowed Professorship
Chief, Division of Neonatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
Interim Medical Director, University of Louisville Hospital NICU
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Scott Duncan attended medical school at the University of Louisville, where he completed his residency and fellowship.  He spent 13 years in private practice before returning to Louisville in 2004.  He completed a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health in 2011.  He was promoted to Professor in 2017. Dr. Duncan was awarded the Rounsvall Endowed Professorship and became Division Chief of Neonatal Medicine in 2018.  He is the interim Medical Director, UofL Hospital Newborn Intensive Care Unit.  His primary areas of interest are the clinical applications of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, and health services research with a focus on quality improvement, healthcare finance and policy.


Leann A. Baker, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Neonatal NP Team Leader, School of Medicine
Neonatal NP Track Coordinator, School of Nursing

Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Leann Baker is an assistant professor with a joint appointment between the UofL Schools of Medicine and Nursing. She grew up in Southern Illinois before her family moved to Louisville in 1996. Her 30 years as a healthcare professional include practicing as a nurse in labor and delivery and the neonatal intensive care unit, and as a nurse educator, prior to completing her Master of Science in Nursing Degree as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in 2008. Her most recent degree, Doctor of Nursing Practice, was completed in 2018.  Dr. Baker continues to practice as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, is a leader in Neonatal Advanced Practice, and is the coordinator for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program.  She has strong interests in nursing and medical education, interprofessional collaborative practice, quality improvement, and local/regional initiatives to improve the care of mothers and babies.  


Jonathan D Cohen, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Jonathan Cohen attended medical school at the University of Louisville, pediatric residency at Carolinas Medical Center, and Neonatology fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.  He has worked as a clinical Neonatologist in Louisville since 2003. Dr. Cohen founded the Bioethics Committee at Norton Children’s Hospital and severed as Committee Chair for over a decade. He received a Master’s in Bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2018.  Currently he serves on the Medical School Admissions Committee, Children’s Hospital Governance Committee, and holds the positions of Director of Neonatal Medicine for the Division of Neonatology. Dr. Cohen also organizes the Ethics component of the medical school curriculum. His primary areas of interest are clinical effectiveness, medical decision-making, compassionate communication, resource utilization and medical/social justice.


Terry Cohen, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Terry Cohen is a Louisville native graduating from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He completed his residency training in Pediatrics and fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Cohen returned to Louisville in 1996, seeing patients in private practice before joining Norton Children’s Medical Group in 2011. He joined the University of Louisville in 2018. He has served in many leadership and medical director roles. Dr. Cohen frequently lectures at Norton Healthcare-sponsored educational conferences and has overseen Pediatric resident rotations at Norton Women and Children’s Hospital. Dr. Cohen has developed a philosophy of care that focuses on the long-term outcomes of premature infants while constantly re-examining the current treatment models used during the acute phase of their illnesses. Most recently, he has become involved in initiatives to help discover the practical applications of AI and machine learning in the NICU environment

 


Angela Cox, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Neonatal Medicine
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Angela Cox attended medical school at the University of Louisville, pediatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and neonatal-perinatal fellowship at Indiana University. She returned to Louisville with her family in 2016 when she joined Norton Children's Neonatology and joined the University of Louisville faculty in 2021. She enjoys treating all neonatal conditions and has a special interest in resident education.


Cindy Crabtree, DO, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Assistant Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Director
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Cynthia Crabtree joined the University of Louisville, Department of Pediatrics in 2021. She attended medical school at Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine, completed pediatric residency at the University of Louisville with an additional year as a pediatric chief resident, and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship at the University of Louisville. During fellowship, she completed a master’s degree in Clinical Investigational Science through University of Louisville school of Public Health. Upon completion of fellowship in 2018, she took a position with Norton Children’s Neonatology where she spent clinical time at Norton Children’s Hospital and Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital with involvement in various unit based QI projects. In 2020, she became an Assistant Fellowship director for the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship program and moved into the Director role in 2022. Dr. Crabtree’s primary areas of interest include medical education, educational innovation, and mentoring with clinical interests that include neonatal nutrition, neonatal cardiac disease, and delivery room practices. Additionally, she enjoys spending time with her daughters, gardening, and being outdoors.


Rebecca Decker, DO
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Rebecca Decker attended medical school at Kansas City University, completed pediatric residency at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship at the University of Louisville. She joined the University of Louisville, Department of Pediatrics in 2022. She enjoys caring for all neonatal conditions with special interest in care of ELBW infants, medical education, and simulation.


Lori A. Devlin, DO,  MHA, FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Lori Devlin attended medical school at Des Moines University, pediatric residency at Ohio University, and pediatric neonatal fellowship at the University of Louisville.  In 2005, she joined the Division of Neonatology at the University of Louisville.  She had been involved in the fellowship program since 2007 and was the fellowship director from 2015 to 2021.  Her primary research focus is Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome and she has been actively involved in the Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (ACT-NOW) Collaborative since 2015 where she has served as a multiple-PI on two multicenter studies.  She is also a multiple-PI for Kentucky ECHO Pediatric IDeA Research Center where she focuses on the development and implementation of clinical trials to improve the care of rural and underserved infants.  Through this collaborative she also supports the development of the next generation of physician scientists. 


Shannon K. Evans, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Shannon Evans is an Assistant Professor of Neonatology. She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and attended medical school at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She completed her Pediatric Residency and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Vermont. She moved to Kentucky with her family in 2017 to join the Division of Neonatology at Norton Children’s Hospital, with a focus on clinical medicine and quality improvement work. She joined the University of Louisville Department of Pediatrics in 2021. Her primary interests are advocacy and bioethics. She currently serves as the Director of Advocacy for the Division of Neonatal Medicine and is passionate about improving health equity for infants and their families in our community, state, and country. She is currently completing a master’s degree in medical ethics at the University of Louisville and serves on the Norton Children’s Hospital Ethics Committee. Additional interests include medical student education, care of extremely preterm infants, patient and family-centered care, and neonatal simulation. She enjoys playing with her Bengal and Ragdoll cats, weightlifting, riding her motorcycle, and spending time with her children.


Amanda C. Farris, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Assistant Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Director
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Amanda Farris is an assistant professor of Neonatology.   She grew up in western Kentucky before moving to Louisville where she completed medical school, pediatrics residency, and neonatal fellowship at the University of Louisville.  She has a strong interest in medical education and is an assistant program director for the neonatal fellowship program.  Her areas of clinical interest are care of infants with congenital heart disease, ECMO and care of infants requiring surgical interventions while in the NICU, and developmental follow-up of high risk neonates.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and knitting.


Hannah R. Fischer, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Co-Director, Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Hannah Fischer completed her training in neonatology at the University of Louisville and joined faculty as an assistant professor in 2015. She has completed the Intermediate Improvement Science Series and Advanced Improvement Methods courses through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and currently serves in the role of Director of Quality Improvement and Safety for the division of neonatology. She has led many quality improvement projects locally and is inspired by the improvement in outcomes that can be achieved. She aspires to teach others to improve their healthcare systems and has developed the Neonatal Fellows Quality Improvement Curriculum to further this goal. Her work has been recognized by her peers and received the “Pediatrics Outstanding Performance Award” for her quality improvement work from the Department of Pediatrics in 2019.  Dr. Fischer has also been Co-director of the Neonatal Follow Up Clinic since 2019 and has an interest in improving outcomes for patients and families after discharge from the NICU.   


Kristi Havener, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Kristi Havener graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and continued on to University of Louisville for pediatric residency and neonatal-perinatal fellowship.  After completion of her training, she joined the UofL Department of Pediatrics Faculty in 2013. Her primary responsibilities are as a NICU nocturnist at Norton Children’s Hospital.  She enjoys taking care of all neonatal conditions.


Bridget Hempel, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Bridget Hempel attended Ross University School of Medicine graduating in 2001.  She completed her pediatric residency at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in 2004 and her neonatal fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in 2007.  She joined the University of Louisville Division of Neonatology in 2015, working primarily as the medical director of Hardin Memorial Hospital (now Baptist Health Hardin).  In 2021, she shifted her focus to Norton Children's Hospital to continue her interest in bioethics and healthcare.  She is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Bioethics and Health Policy from Loyola University Chicago. She serves on the Ethics Committee at Norton Children's Hospital.  Her clinical interests are management of the ELBW infant, providing ethics consults and end-of-life decision making in the NICU. 


Jonathan Malowitz, MD
Norton Children's Profile


Keri A. Marques, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Assistant Medical Director, Norton Children's Hospital
Neonatal Director of NeuroNICU
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Keri Marques joined the University of Louisville, Department of Pediatrics in 2021.  She attended medical school at St. George’s School of Medicine; pediatric residency at Vidant Health associated with East Carolina University and completed a neonatal-perinatal fellowship at the University of Vermont.  In 2015, she moved to Louisville with her family to take a position in the division of Neonatology at Norton Children’s Hospital.  In 2020, she was named the Assistant Medical Director of the Level IV neonatal intensive unit at Norton Children’s Hospital and is the lead neonatologist of the multi-disciplinary neonatal neurology service.   Her primary areas of interest are neonatal brain injury, extreme prematurity, neonatal simulation and community education.


Brittany Martin, MD
Norton Children's Profile


Carrie Moore, MD
Norton Children's Profile


Chukwuma (Chima) Nnorom, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Baptist Health Hardin NICU
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Chukwuma Nnorom completed medical school training at the University of Calabar, Nigeria in 2000. In 2005, he relocated to the United States to do his pediatric residency at Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY /NYU and later his Neonatology fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Center, Memphis, TN.  After graduation from fellowship in 2011, he spent 3 years working as a general pediatrician in the medically underserved communities of New Iberia and ST Martinsville, Louisiana. In 2015, he moved with his family to Elizabethtown KY to take a position with the University of Louisville Division Of Neonatology, assisting in the startup of the Hardin Memorial satellite NICU in Elizabethtown.  He is currently the NICU Medical Director of Hardin Memorial Hospital now known as Baptist Health Hardin. His areas of interest include breast feeding in the NICU, community education and reaching out to underserved communities.


Edward O'Neill, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Baptist Health Paducah NICU
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Ed O'Neill completed his training in neonatology at the University of Louisville and joined faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2011 and is currently an Associate Professor with the University of Louisville School of Medicine.   He completed his pediatric residency at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL in 2008.  He is currently the Medical Director of the Level III NICU at Baptist Health Paducah.  He has overseen the expansion from Level II to Level III NICU and the successful Baptist Neonatal Transport Team serving western Kentucky.  His interests include improving the care we provide neonates in western Kentucky, breastfeeding, improving outcomes, community outreach education.  Outside of medicine, he enjoys time with his wife of 15 years and 5 children.


Tonya W. Robinson, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Tonya Robinson attended Purdue University for her undergraduate degree, her medical school degree at Indiana University, her pediatric residency at Methodist Hospital (Indianapolis, IN) and completed her neonatal medicine fellowship at the University of Louisville.  Her primary area of interest is neuroprotection of the extremely low birth weight infant and infant’s afflicted with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.  Also a focus has been various quality improvement initiatives for the NICU at ULH such as prevention of ROP/CLD/IVH, appropriate approved use of inhaled nitric oxide and non-pharmacologic treatments for neonatal abstinence syndrome. 


Seth J. Schultz, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Seth Schultz is an Associate Professor of Neonatology. He grew up in Syracuse, NY and graduated medical school from LSU. He completed his pediatric residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Louisville. He joined the faculty in 2004.  His primary interest lies in clinical neonatology. He currently serves as the Medical Director of our NICU at Baptist Health Louisville and is passionate about improving the care of infants and their families in our community.  Additional interests include resident and fellow and nurse practitioner education, care of preterm infants, patient and family-centered care, and neonatal simulation. He is married to Angie and has three children, Laiken, Maddie and Sam. He enjoys spending time with his family and dog, Murphy, traveling, and attending UofL sporting events.  


Elizabeth Schumacher, PhD, LP
Pediatric Psychologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Co-Director Neonatal Follow-Up Clinic
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Elizabeth "Liz" Schumacher completed her doctoral training at the University of Iowa, psychology residency at the University of Minnesota, and pediatric psychology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center.   In 1995, she moved to Louisville to take a position in the division of Neonatal Medicine.  In 2002, she was named Associate Director of the UofL Neonatal Follow Up Program.  She took the position of Co-Director of the UofL Neonatal Follow Up Program in 2009.  Her primary areas of interest are high-risk infant development, neonatal abstinence syndrome, extremely low birthweight developmental sequelea, and early intervention programming.  


Leslie A. Schuschke, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Leslie Schuschke is an associate professor of Neonatal Medicine. She attended the University of Louisville where she completed her medical school training, pediatric residency and neonatal fellowship. She is married to Dale Schuschke PhD, professor in physiology, and they have 3 children. 


Tamina R. Singh, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

 

  


Ryan W. Smith, MD
Norton Children's Profile


Dan L. Stewart, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of OB/GYN
Professor of International Pediatrics
Assistant Director Division of Neonatal Medicine
Norton Children's Profile

 Dr. Dan L. Stewart attended medical school at the University of Louisville and pediatric residency at the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University).  He returned to Louisville after a 4-year stint of general pediatrics to do a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.  In 1988, he returned as a faculty member at the University of Louisville after serving as Chairman of Pediatrics at ETSU (East Tennessee State University).  After serving as the Medical Director of the Norton Children’s NICU for many years, he recently stepped down but remains an active member of the neonatal staff and serves as the ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator) Director.  His research interests include surfactant, inhaled nitric oxide, different modes of ventilation, as well as newborn hearing loss.  He has served on the COFN (Committee on Fetus and Newborn) for the AAP and remains on the Board for the Kentucky Pediatric Society Foundation.  


Sucheta Telang, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Norton Children's Profile

Dr. Telang is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine (Medical Oncology and Hematology). She completed her medical training at Delhi University, India, Pediatric residency at the University of Connecticut and a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Her research interests include the role of lactoferrin in the modulation of the neonatal microbiome, the glycolytic metabolism of tumors and the development of small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.


Ansel Tjin-A-Tam, MD
Norton Children's Profile

 

 


Nitin Wadhwa, MD
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Staff

Denise Abels, Key Academic Contact, Fellowship Program Coordinator
P: 502-852-8483


Kimberly Downey, Program Assistant, Sr
P: 502-852-8470

The Neonatal Fellowship at the University of Louisville is a three-year ACGME accredited program divided into clinical service rotations and research. Clinical service rotations are split between Norton Children’s Hospital level IV NICU and the University of Louisville Hospital level III NICU. Fellows have the opportunity to see patients in the Neonatal High-Risk Follow-Up outpatient clinic in the state-of-the-art Novak Center for Children's Health, and they also accompany the "Just for Kids" Transport Team during the transport of critically ill infants.

Time is dedicated to clinical and laboratory research and outcomes research.  Fellows in the Neonatal Fellowship Program will use this time for reading, independent study in the sub-specialty area, and preparing for lectures and teaching. The Neonatal Fellowship's link to basic sciences is considered a crucial and mandatory element of training.