Dr. Michael Cotton is a Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University and the chief of the Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics, since 2017. His 4 major areas of research include neuro-protection using stem cells during therapeutic hypothermia, genomics, new diagnostic technologies, and the microbiome in micro-preemies and health outcomes of periviable infants.

Dr. Cotten is the PI for the Duke site within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN) and has dedicated his career to neonatal clinical research. He led the NRN's development of an Anonymized DNA bank of samples collected from 1,000 extremely low birthweight infants, with phenotype information linked to the samples. He has collaborated on prototype new technology devices for use in newborn screening for lysosomal storage disease, hyperbilirubinemia and related conditions, as well as screening panels for hypoglycemia and hypothyroidism. He is also collaborating to develop tomography for retinal imaging that will assess associations between retinal neurovascular development, brain development, and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Hypothermia and Beyond: Fine-Tuning Therapeutic Hypothermia and Evidence for Stem Cells as a Safe and Effective Add-On

Dr. Sudarshan Rao Jadcherla is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and the Associate Division Chief of Neonatology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He is the director of the Neonatal and Infant Feeding Disorders Program and the Neonatal Aerodigestive Pulmonary Program. He is the Principal Investigator for the Innovative Feeding Disorders Research Program at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Jadcherla's research focuses on maturational and dysfunctional mechanisms of neonatal feeding and aero-digestive disorders. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jadcherla is conducting innovative research in elucidating the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms involved with swallowing, aero-digestive protection, gastroesophageal reflux disease and chronic lung disease of infancy. Understanding the mechanisms during maturation, whether functional or dysfunctional, will form the basis for evidence-based diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. The long-term goal of his program is to translate clinical research initiatives to crib-side in the neonatal ICU community and beyond by solving complex issues pertinent to feeding safety and airway protection. His program strives to improve feeding related quality of life among high risk neonates, lowers burden of care and hospital costs.

Dr. Romaine Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. He is the Director of the Children’s Health Airway Management Program, and is the Director of the Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship program at Children's Medical Center Dallas.

Dr. Johnson's research interests include subglottic stenosis, obstructive sleep apnea, vocal cord paralysis, quality improvement, and airway simulation. He has authored nearly 60 scientific articles, book chapters, and meeting proceedings, and has delivered numerous national presentations, lectures, and professional courses. He serves as an Associate Editor of Pediatric Otolaryngology for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, as well as a reviewer for The Laryngoscope.

Dr. Johnson is a Fellow of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society (aka The Triological Society); the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery; and the American College of Surgeons; as well as an active member of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and the National Medical Association.

Dr. Johnson was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list for 2018. He received the Honor Award in 2012 from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Foundation. He is also a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Christopher McPherson is a clinical pharmacist in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children's Hospital and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy and completed a fellowship in Neonatal Pharmacotherapy at The Women’s Hospital of Greensboro. He was an instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School from 2014-2016 and received the Partners in Excellence Award from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2015. He is an ad reviewer for the journal Pediatrics, the journal Pediatric Research, and the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and is a contributing editor for Neonatal Network.

Recent research has focused on acetaminophen for treatment of patent ductus arteriosus, antimicrobial stewardship, and treatment of neonatal hypertension during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Dr. Josef Neu is the Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shands Children’s Hospital, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, and the Director of the Neonatology Fellowship Program at the University of Florida, Gainsville, Florida.

He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1971 at Wisconsin State University, Whitewater, WI. In 1975 he received his Medical Doctorate, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. Dr. Neu completed his Pediatrics Residency at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD from 1975-1978, 1978-1980 Postdoctoral Fellow in Neonatology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA. In 1987 he completed his Sabbatical, Inselspital, at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Recent research and publication topics have included necrotizing enterocolitis, the intestinal microbiome, metabolome and inflammatory mediators, gastrointestinal development, multi-omics-based strategies for taming intestinal inflammation in the neonate, and how Mother's own breast milk differs from donor breast milk.