Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
The SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program empowers future neonatologists to provide unparalleled care for vulnerable newborns and their families.
A Message From the Program Director
Welcome to the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program.
Over the past 60 years, both the neonatology fellowship program and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital have become world-class leaders in children’s health care. Our program provides specialized training that includes outstanding education, robust research and scholarly activities, and the highest quality clinical care to the most vulnerable neonates. We aim to do this in a humanistic, collegial, interdisciplinary environment that fosters the lifelong ability to excel in scholarship, discovery, teaching and leadership.
We are excited to share all that our program has to offer and look forward to meeting you!
Rebecca Petersen, M.D.
Program director
Program Overview
The three-year, ACGME-accredited neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship offers a supportive community that champions lifelong scholarship and learning. Fellows are involved in every aspect of the clinical experience, advancing technical skills through hands-on procedures and demonstrating expertise in both the delivery room and NICU.
Fellows train at the following sites:
- SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital NICU
- 35-bed level III NICU with all private rooms
- 200 ELBW deliveries annually
- 3,400 deliveries each year
- Prenatal consult service
- Designated baby-friendly hospital
- SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital NICU
- 65-bed Level IV NICU with all private rooms (average daily census of about 60)
- 200 cardiothoracic surgeries each year with neonates managed pre-operatively in the NICU
- Neonatal ECMO team designated by ELSO as a Gold Center of Excellence
- Ranked by US News & World Report as the #1 NICU in Missouri for 2023-2024
- Multidisciplinary involvement with chronic lung disease team, intestinal rehabilitation team, palliative care team
- Continuous renal replacement with Carpe Diem technology
- SSM Health Cardinal Glennon St. Louis Fetal Care Institute
- Clinical Timeline (13 Total Months)
- Level IV NICU (Eight Months): SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
- Level III NICU (Three Months): SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - St. Louis
- Perinatal Medicine (Year 2): dedicated month rounding with maternal-fetal medicine and medical genetics specialists
- Customizable Electives (Year 3): design rotations to interests such as with the transport or nutrition teams
- Nursery Follow-Up Clinic (Twice Monthly): multidisciplinary, holistic post-discharge care for high-risk NICU graduates (oxygen management, nutritional management, neurodevelopmental and ROP screenings)
- Fellow Call: in-house, overnight call (three to four nights/month) managing NICU, well-baby nurseries, high-risk deliveries, and transport medical control
- Telemedicine: Video consultation offered within SSM Health perinatal network
- Simulation: Quarterly protected fellow simulations focused on complex clinical scenarios, high risk procedures, and leadership. Additional in-situ multidisciplinary simulations in the NICU as well as bi-annual ECMO simulation program.
- ECMO: Neonatal ECMO performed in the NICU by designated neonatal ECMO team with fellow acting as first-line provider
- Global health: Opportunities to engage in global health work and scholarly activities
- Pediatric Grand Rounds (Weekly): presentations on topics including evidence-based disease management, health care disparities and research
- Core Conference (Twice Monthly): faculty-led lectures covering neonatal-perinatal sub-specialty board content
- Introduction to Academic Medicine (Twice Monthly): longitudinal curriculum covering research, financial planning, mentorship and the Stanford Teaching Curriculum
- Video Review (Quarterly): analysis of high-risk resuscitations to improve NRP practices, leadership, communication and quality improvement
- NeoPath and Joint Conferences (Monthly): collaborative reviews of pathology, histology, and placental findings
- Fetal Care Institute (Weekly): multidisciplinary review of prenatal findings (ultrasound images, genetic testing) and high-risk delivery planning and management
- Quality and Literature (Monthly): fellow-led case conferences, Journal Club and M&M review
- Multidisciplinary Conferences: Joint neonatology, Maternal Fetal Medicine and Pathology case conferences reviewing perinatal management and pathological findings
- Specialized Bootcamps: hands-on training for procedures, ECMO and simulations
- Research Opportunities: access to ongoing basic science, translational or clinical research projects within and outside of the division
- Facilities and Resources: research space in the Doisy Research Center and access to the School of Public Health,
Taylor Geospatial Institute and Reinert Center for Transformational Teaching and Learning
- Past research projects: effects of inhaled budesonide on adrenal insufficiency in VLBW infants; complex discharge coordination; effect of fetal inflammation on immune system development; implications of neonatal microbiome on gut health and neurodevelopment; and more
- Quality improvement: quality improvement projects such as the Golden Hour initiative, POCUS and less invasive surfactant administration
- Mentorship: designated clinical faculty and neonatal nurse practitioner provide longitudinal clinical and practical guidance throughout fellowship
Program Highlights
- Level III and IV high-volume, high-acuity NICUs with multidisciplinary support and neonatal ECMO
- Complex and high-risk deliveries with dynamic maternal/fetal medicine and fetal care group
- Humanistic, collegial and interdisciplinary environment
- Extensive, protected educational curriculum with multi-disciplinary conferences
- Robust fellow simulation curriculum
- Comprehensive research opportunities and resources
- Carefully curated longitudinal clinical and academic mentorship
Current Fellows
Hayley Grzych, M.D.
Research: Effects of the combination of surfactant with budesonide and intravenous
hydrocortisone on betamethasone treated preterm lambs, ELBW care quality improvement
Residency: SSM Health Saint Louis University
Medical school: Indiana University
Sarah Milota, M.D.
Research: aEEGs and functional brain age of opioid-exposed and unexposed infants,
neonatal hemodynamics
Residency: Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical school: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Minji Cho, M.D.
Research: Effects of postnatal corticosteroids in a mouse model
Residency: Kaiser Permanente Southern California- Los Angeles
Medical school: California Northstate University
Natalie Gonzalez, M.D.
Research: Neonatal parenteral nutrition in a piglet model
Residency: Albert Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
Medical school: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Kaitlin Evans, D.O.
Residency: Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital
Medical school: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Jane Anne Gorham, D.O.
Residency: Medical College of Georgia
Medical school: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Past Fellows: Where Are They Now?
- Ben Shapleigh, M.D. (2024): Pediatrix Neonatology of Texas in El Paso, Texas
- Samatha Becker, M.D. (2023): Neonatal Care Physicians of Southeastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Megan Ottomeyer D.O. (2023): SSM Health Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri
- Claire Murray, D.O. (2022): UnityPoint Health Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa
- Dajana Sabic, D.O. (2021): Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas
- Leenah Abugisisa, M.D. (2020): SSM Health Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri
Apply
The fellowship program has two available positions per year.
The program participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).
Review the Application Process
About the SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Program
SSM Health proudly sponsors the Graduate Medical Education Program at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. This university-based training program offers a world-class academic environment that fosters clinical excellence, research innovation and compassionate care. All program participants are employed by SSM Health, ensuring a cohesive and supportive experience within a nationally recognized health system.