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Neonatology
Research
The research interests and expertise of various faculty have fostered programmatic areas of excellence in pulmonary hypertension of the newborn at The Children's Hospital and in the study of metabolism of the very premature infant at University of Colorado Hospital. New areas of research interest include the use of stable isotopes and indirect calorimetry to study glucose and amino acid utilization in the premature infant, use of nitric oxide in the term and preterm infant and cardiopulmonary adaptation to altitude.
Faculty are also involved in basic research at the molecular, cellular, organ and whole animal levels. Areas of excellence include research on carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism and on organ blood-flow regulation. In vivo studies emphasizing chronically catheterized animals take place at the UCDSOM Perinatal Research Center. Areas of research interest include placental, cerebral, hepatic, and muscle metabolism in normal, growth-retarded, and hypoxic fetal lambs. Studies requiring stable isotopic analysis are completed in collaboration with a number of investigators on the UCD and Colorado State University campuses. In vitro studies currently focus on growth-factor regulation and placental development under conditions of placental insufficiency.
Faculty Research Interests
Dr. Russell Anthony’s research focus is early placental development in growth-restricted pregnancies.
Dr. James Barry’s research seeks to understand how the fetal myocardium adapts to intrauterine growth restriction and how these adaptations may contribute to later adult cardiovascular disease; delivery room management of the high-risk newborn; and medical education for pediatric residents.
Dr. Laura Brown’s research goals are to investigate how the intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) fetus adapts to conditions of nutrient restriction due to placental insufficiency and to determine the degree of permanence and/or plasticity of these adaptations.
Dr. Mackenzie Frost’s current research interests are glucose effect on pancreatic function, insulin regulatory pathway, beta cell mass and apoptosis, and amino acid regulation. She is also interested in surgical placement of indwelling catheters, chronic and acute infusions, blood sampling, necropsy, islet isolation, static cellular incubations, immunohistochemical staining, and photomicroscopy.
Dr. Jed Friedman’s research specialization is transcription factors involved in energy balance and obesity, mechanisms for fatty liver development, fetal programming and molecular pathways to insulin resistance in humans and non-human primates.
Dr. Jason Gien studies pulmonary hypertension, chronic lung disease, and congenital heart disease.
Dr. Theresa Grover focuses on regulation of fetal and neonatal pulmonary blood flow, mechanisms of pulmonary vascular and alveolar growth, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and the role of vascular endothelial growth factor in lung development.
Dr. William Hay, Jr.’s basic research is supported by NIH-funded grants to study various aspects of placental and fetal growth restriction, with specific attention to placental nutrient transfer and metabolism, fetal insulin secretion, and fetal insulin action. His research is aimed at understanding how disturbances in maternal nutrient supply to the placenta and fetus produce adaptations in fetal development that could underlie later life disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. His clinical research through the TCH Clinical Translational Research Center focuses on early postnatal intravenous nutrition of the extremely low birth weight infant, aimed at determining the optimal amount and mixture of amino acids and energy supplies to promote early and optimal growth of body weight and composition in preterm infants to prevent postnatal growth restriction. He is also a world expert in neonatal applications of pulse oximetry to monitor blood oxygenation in newborn infants.
Dr. Peter Hulac’s interests are in prenatal consultations with families whose fetus has challenging diagnoses. He is also an expert in decision-making in acute care situations, particularly at the margins of viability.
Dr. M. Douglas Jones, Jr.’s research interest is in graduate medical education.
Dr. Susan Niermeyer focuses on international child health, neonatal resuscitation, and high-altitude physiology including cardiopulmonary adaptation in infants at high altitude, acute mountain sickness in children, and fetal and neonatal origins of chronic mountain sickness.
Dr. Thomas Parker’s scientific focus is on hormonal modulation of the developing fetal pulmonary circulation, the role of endogenous nitric oxide in the developing lung circulation, the myogenic response in the fetal and newborn pulmonary circulation, the role of rho kinase in the modulation of pulmonary vascular tone, and the use of inhaled nitric oxide in treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.
Dr. Regina Reynolds’ research interests include neonatal nutrition, neonatal nutrient metabolism, growth and body composition of the neonate, especially the preterm infant and neonates with congenital heart disease.
Dr. Adam Rosenberg’s research focus is on the regulation of cerebral blood flow in the fetus and neonate, surfactant replacement therapy, clinical management of birth asphyxia, and outcomes of high-risk newborn term and preterm infants. He is also the Director of the Pediatric Residency Program.
Dr. Paul Rozance is investigating the impact of fetal growth and nutrient restriction on the development and function of the pancreatic beta-cells as well as other organ systems. He also is interested in developing interventions to reverse the detrimental effects of fetal growth restriction.
Dr. Daniel Satterwhite studies the developmental regulation of cell growth and differentiation, growth factors, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, IUGR, and metabolism.
Dr. Elizabeth Thilo’s research focuses on early adrenal insufficiency in ELBW infants, and the concept of relative adrenal insufficiency in critically ill infants, including the possible beneficial effect of steroid replacement therapy in sepsis syndrome in the term and near-term infant. She is also interested in early newborn discharge for both term and premature infants; noninvasive monitoring techniques, especially pulse oximetry; hyperbilirubinemia and prevention of kernicterus; newborn transition and the effects of altitude; and pain management in the neonate.
Dr. Stephanie Thorn’s research interests primarily involve the fetal origins of diabetes and obesity; fetal metabolism; intrauterine fetal growth and fetal growth restriction; mammalian glucose and lipid metabolism; and molecular endocrinology and metabolism.
Dr. Patti Thureen is investigating fetal and neonatal nutrition; fetal and neonatal amino acid and protein metabolism; neonatal energy expenditure, nutrient balance, and body composition; and stable isotope methodology.
Dr. Randy Wilkening’s research activities include placental transfer and function; fetal metabolic responses to placental dysfunction; and fetal organ blood flow and metabolism.
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