Neonatal Medicine: State of the Art & Ongoing Challenges

Dr. Caraciolo Fernandes, an academic neonatologist whose clinical experience and training spans three different countries/continents and over three decades, will discuss how the field of neonatology has evolved over the past few decades and where the current ongoing challenges lie. In the Texas Children’s Hospital Newborn Center, he serves as the Medical Director for Neonatal Transport, and the Program Director for the Section of Neonatology’s Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) programs. As part of his daily clinical activities, he cares for critically-ill premature and term newborn infants. He will discuss aspects of neonatal medicine of interest to bioengineering students, including different forms of advanced respiratory support, ECMO, and technology to improve patient care. He hopes to stimulate inquisitive minds to pursue research endeavors in the field of neonatology.