Ryan Barbaro, MD, MS

Professor
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

We are pleased to welcome Ryan Barbaro, MD, MS, Professor of Pediatrics, as the new Division Chief for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, effective June 30, 2026. Dr. Barbaro is returning to UNC after having most recently served as the Service Chief of Critical Care and the Pediatric ECMO Director at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Barbaro earned his Doctor of Medicine from the UNC School of Medicine and completed his pediatric residency at North Carolina Children’s Hospital. Following his training at UNC, Dr. Barbaro completed a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan, as well as additional fellowship training in pediatric health services research through the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Center. He also earned a Master of Science in Health and Health Care Research from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Barbaro’s research focuses on improving outcomes for children supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life-saving therapy for severe cardiac and respiratory failure. He leads the international, NIH-funded ASCEND study, which examines clinical and neurodevelopmental outcomes and helps inform optimal timing of ECMO initiation in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome.

He is also a leader in global ECMO collaboration, serving on the Board of Directors for the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and co-chairing the Pediatric ECMO Research Network (PediECMO), advancing research and care for critically ill children worldwide.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Barbaro back to Carolina!