WE ARE . . .
fostering a culture of compassion, equity, learning, and leadership to enable scientific innovation and promote the health, well-being, and potential of newborns, their families, and our team.
Neonatology ranks sixth in nation by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report has released its 2023-24 Best Children's Hospitals survey. For the 5th year in a row, we have ranked as one of the top 10 neonatology programs in the country. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford is ranked as the #1 children's hospital in Northern California.
Expanding telemedicine support in the NICU
We have officially launched TeleNeo at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. In this program, Stanford Children’s attending NICU physicians will now be able to provide remote consultations 24/7 with select hospitals via a telehealth device. Our team has partnered with Teladoc® using their Lite 4 with Boom device, which allows physicians to activate a video livestream of a patient and communicate directly with the care team during emergent events. The program may decrease the need to transport sick newborns long distances to receive high-level care.
Under the leadership of Ritu Chitkara, MD, the TeleNeo team brought this program to fruition, united by the goal of ensuring all babies have access to high-level expertise in the delivery room and newborn nursery. “Ideally, we want to use this program to provide extraordinary care by optimizing the quality and safety of newborn resuscitation and evaluation in our community,” Dr. Chitkara says.
In Brief | Division News
Dr. Sonia Bonifacio named Faculty Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Strategic Initiatives
Department of Pediatrics leadership appointed Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Sonia Bonifacio, MD, as the inaugural Faculty Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Strategic Initiatives. Dr. Bonifacio has a longstanding track record of supporting DEIJ efforts within our Division. Her contributions include founding the Stanford Women in Neonatology group, improving the recruitment of underrepresented in medicine fellowship applicants, and establishing a multidisciplinary health equity task force to address disparities and improve outcomes in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) families. In her new role she will support the mission of the Office of DEIJ through select strategic initiatives.
Department of Pediatrics awards Ron Wong and Dr. Anca Pasca
Each summer, the Department of Pediatrics distributes their annual faculty and staff awards, and this year two of our own were recognized for their contributions. Senior Research Scientist Ron Wong received the Research Technical Award, honoring his distinguished service to the Stanford research community. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Anca Pasca, MD, received the Fuji Apple Award for her outstanding mentorship of trainees.