Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program
Our Roots Run Deep in Fertile Soil
Our Roots Run Deep in Fertile Soil
Past Departmental Chiefs
The Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine has been most fortunate to have been led by Dr. William Oh and Dr. James Padbury, former Chiefs of Pediatrics at Women & Infants Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Below, learn more about their many achievements, all to make our program stronger, smarter, and exceedingly productive in many realms.
William Oh, MD
Sylvia Kay Hassenfeld Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
Our Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Women and Infants Hospital/Alpert Medical
School of Brown University dates back to 1973, under the dynamic guidance of Dr. William Oh, a true trailblazer in the field of neonatology. In 2012, he was aptly inducted into the Legends of Neonatology Hall of Fame.
The Journal of Perinatology published a comprehensive article highlighting Dr. Oh's impactful career, entitled, as referenced here:
Reese CN, Reese J. Reflections on the early years of neonatology. William Oh: neonatal pioneer devoted his career to groundbreaking research, expanding patient care, and mentoring others. J Perinatol. 2019 Jan;39(1):18-27. doi: 10.1038/s41372-018-0268-7. PMID: 30467327.
James F. Padbury, MD
Former William and Mary Oh - William and Elsa Zopfi Professor of Pediatrics
In 1995, Dr. Oh passed the baton of the division's leadership to Dr. James Padbury, whom he recruited from UCLA. For the next 25 years, Dr. Padbury led the division through a period of unprecedented growth in clinical programs and research infrastructure. Throughout his tenure he secured multiple and diverse research awards including one from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for construction of the Kilguss Research Institute and three Center of Biomedical Research Excellence Awards (COBRE) for Perinatal Biology.
He was the Program Director for Advance Clinical and Translational Research (Advance-CTR) His leadership, likewise, led to the design and construction of one of the earliest and largest single-family room NICUs in the country. In a study done in collaboration with researchers from the Brown Center for Children and Families which evaluated the impact of this new environment on our patients, the largest ever incremental improvements in developmental outcome of infants born less than a 1,000 grams was demonstrated as a result of the family centered care afforded by our new care model that we continue to practice.
It is the influence of Dr. Padbury’s vision and unwavering drive that has set the stage for the next chapter in the Department of Pediatrics.