Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
The Department of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a broadly-based fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, providing both clinical and research training with the goal of preparing trainees for careers in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Our graduates are capable of applying their academic skills to scholarly investigation both in academic medicine and community practice.
The fellowship program accommodates up to seven fellows at any time. Completion of a 3-year ACGME-accredited Pediatric residency training program in advance of appointment is a minimum requirement.
Our fellowship objectives are to:
- Train future leaders in neonatal medicine.
- Train fellows to use an academically rigorous approach to decisions about patient care, implementing evidence-based medicine within a multidisciplinary model of care.
- Improve neonatal care and advance the field of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine by training fellows to ask insightful clinical questions and use appropriate tools to answer those questions.
- Train fellows to develop an understanding of quality, teamwork, and safety that can be applied to health care systems.
Why Choose UNC?
Welcome to UNC
We are happy that you are exploring a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at UNC.
Our fellows are hard-working individuals who are deeply committed to providing excellent care to the neonates and families in our NICU. They are also committed to improving the care of neonates by advancing the field of neonatology. We train academic neonatologists who learn and apply advanced quality improvement methodology to improve care at UNC and throughout the state. We also train clinical investigators who use research methodologies to advance neonatal care. Our trainees also learn to apply public health principles to determine the best ways to provide care for individual neonates and generate public health initiatives that improve care locally and globally. We meet with each fellow regularly to help them identify career goals and then craft an individualized educational experience that will provide them with the tools they need to meet those goals.
We are fortunate to work in a free-standing Children’s Hospital, embedded within a specialized hospital system. As a result, within our NICU, we care for babies born in the adjoining NC Women’s Hospital, as well as referring hospitals across the state. We have an active prenatal care program that cares for mother’s with complex prenatal findings and coordinates care even after delivery. We also enjoy close collaborations with multiple pediatric sub-specialists who practice at UNC. This clinical environment provides fellows with a broad range of diagnoses and prepares them for practice in diverse settings upon graduation.
There are several unique aspects of our program. We have a strong history of training fellows in clinical research techniques, and 19 fellows in the past 20 years have also earned a Master’s of Public Health degree concurrent with their fellowship. We support clinical research through our involvement with the Neonatal Research Network, the ECHO-ELGAN research cohort and the Pediatric Trials Network. Our fellowship program reserves one spot for a fellow interested in the Quality Improvement Track, which is ideal for training academic neonatologists or future medical directors in quality improvement methodology and skills. We also have faculty within our division with expertise and current research in global health, including neonatologists leading a research site within the NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. In addition, our Division Chief, Misty Good, is a nationally known laboratory researcher funded with multiple NIH RO1 grants. These resources enhance our trainees’ scholarly projects and provide a platform for independent research.
Additionally, Chapel Hill is a wonderful place to live.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Wayne and Melissa
Fellows in the Newborn Critical Care Center will fulfill the clinical role of consultant or “junior attending,” with a level of responsibility between the attending physician and the senior resident. It is expected that the fellow will be intimately familiar with all infants admitted to the Newborn Critical Care Center and their care plans while on service. The fellow will become involved as a teacher and supervisor and will contribute to the care of high-risk infants without usurping the responsibilities of the pediatric house staff. UNC’s pediatric residents are responsible for direct patient care (i.e., writing orders, performing routine procedures, updating the families of patients, etc.) within the Department of Pediatrics. It is assumed that fellows in neonatal-perinatal medicine will have already had this kind of experience, and the fellowship program will not attempt to duplicate it.
In addition to clinical training in the Newborn Critical Care Center, fellows have the opportunity to enhance their clinical skills through a number of electives, including
- Maternal Fetal Medicine (including prenatal ultrasound, genetic counseling)
- Rex Special Care Nursery
- Complex Care Elective
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- ECMO (in conjunction with the UNC PICU)
- Pediatric Surgery
- Transport
Schedules will be individualized with particular attention to the needs of each fellow and the availability of institutional resources, but will in all cases meet the requirement of the American Board of Pediatrics. In general, fellows are on clinical service for a total of 50 weeks over three years and are assigned in-house call an average of 50 days per year.
Year 1: The first year will be fairly uniform for fellows with an emphasis on basic clinical neonatology. Four to six months of these 12 are typically spent in clinical care. Fellows will be expected to initiate a research/scholarly project within the first year.
Year 2: The second year will be individualized with less emphasis on clinical neonatology and more emphasis on scholarly activities. The fellow will be expected to make significant progress on his/her chosen scholarly project and may take advantage of increased teaching opportunities. Fellows interested in clinical/epidemiology research may have the opportunity to take this year to complete an MPH at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Year 3: The fellow’s third year will be completely customized to his/her specific goals and will additionally include one month as acting attending in the NICU.
A sample daily schedule in the NICU
7:00 Sign Out / Pre-round
7:50 Board Rounds / Unit “Huddle”
8:00 Lecture for NCCC Housestaff / Grand Rounds (Thursday)
8:30 NICU Radiology Rounds
8:45 Work Rounds
11:00 Patient Care Activities
12:00 (WEDNESDAYS) Fellow’s Conference (journal club, pathophysiology, board review)
2:30 (WEDNESDAYS) Division Meeting (research, administrative issues, M&M)
4:00 Sign out to night fellow
4:15 (MONDAYS) Center for Maternal and Infant Health multidisciplinary conference
Teaching Rounds
Teaching rounds are conducted daily in the Newborn Critical Care Center. Attending responsibility is shared among members of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine faculty.
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Division Meetings
The Division holds weekly meetings that include:
- Journal Club
- Research seminars by division members
- Clinical management seminars
- Business meetings to discuss administrative issues of the division and the Newborn Critical Care Center
- Quality assurance, and
- Mortality/morbidity review
Fellows’ Conference
The fellows’ conference is a weekly meeting planned by the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellows, which includes members of the division and guest lecturers. Meetings cover subspecialty topics, selected topics of clinical interest, ethics, administration, statistics, and clinical study design.
X-ray Conferences
Fellows engage in daily neonatal X-ray reviews with faculty from pediatric radiology.
Perinatal Care Conference
The weekly perinatal care conference features discussions about patient care issues by specialists from maternal-fetal medicine, pediatrics and surgery focused on patients referred to the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health.
Pathology Conference
Approximately 20 percent of the cases reviewed at the weekly pediatric pathology conference are neonatal.
Departmental Conferences
Other departmental conferences include grand rounds, airway conference, congenital heart disease conference, ECMO conference, subspecialty conferences, and departmental teaching conferences.
Basic Science Seminars and Conferences
Opportunities in various areas are available to fellows participating in basic science research.
Core Curriculum for Pediatric Fellows
The yearly seminar series for all pediatric fellows is intended to facilitate interaction among pediatric fellows and cover content areas that are common to all subspecialty residents. Seminars include a variety of pertinent topics including: Starting Out in Research, Presenting Research, How to be an Effective Teacher, How to Find a Job, Communicating with Families, and others.
UNC Hospitals
UNC Hospitals is the consortium of hospitals associated with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The main campus includes the North Carolina Memorial Hospital, North Carolina Children’s Hospital, North Carolina Cancer Hospital, North Carolina Women’s Hospital and North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital. Attending staff are all members of the School of Medicine’s teaching faculty.
Newborn Critical Care Center
The Newborn Critical Care Center has a capacity of 58 beds of which up to 48 are designed for ventilated or critically ill infants. Approximately 75 infants are admitted to the NCCC per month. About 70 percent of these are born in UNC Hospitals. The remainder are referred from over 50 counties in North Carolina.
Approximately 30 percent of admitted infants weigh less than 1500 grams and about 15 percent weigh less than 1000 grams. About 10 percent are 25 weeks gestational age or less. Our clinicians encounter a broad spectrum of other neonatal problems, including 40 infants per year with congenital heart disease and approximately 50 infants per year requiring major surgical procedures. Preoperative care of cardiac surgery patients and pre- and post-operative care of other surgical patients is the primary responsibility of the neonatal staff with appropriate consultation by the surgical staff.
Obstetrical Service
Approximately 4300 babies are delivered each year at the North Carolina Women’s Hospital on the UNC medical campus. These represent an extraordinarily high-risk population because a large proportion of mothers are referred with obstetrical complications. Historically, about one-fifth of these infants have low birth weight, and one-fifth are admitted to the Newborn Critical Care Center. The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division is well known for diagnostic fetal ultrasound and invasive fetal interventional therapy. Delivery room facilities are located adjacent to the Newborn Critical Care Center.
UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health
The Center for Maternal and Infant Health is dedicated to improving the health status of North Carolina’s women and infants through clinical services, outreach, education, and research. The Center coordinates treatments for a wide variety of health problems for mother and infant, including infants with birth defects like spina bifida, cleft palate and heart defects; infants with high-risk medical conditions; and pregnant women with fetal anomalies.
The Center offers individualized, comprehensive maternal and infant health services to fulfill each patient’s needs. This includes a care coordinator for each patient and team conferences to discuss medical findings, develop a treatment plan and provide a prognosis. The team includes sub-specialists from a wide range of disciplines in maternal-fetal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, nursing, social work and pastoral care. The UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health brings together all of their expertise and focuses it on each patient’s special medical needs.
Newborn Nursery
Full-term, normal birth weight infants are admitted to the Newborn Nursery. The capacity of this unit is 25 with average census being 10 to 12. Responsibility for patient care and teaching in this unit is under the Division of Community Pediatrics. Attending responsibility is rotated among a group of nine certified pediatricians, all of whom are actively involved in primary care of pediatric patients and in teaching.
Infant Transport Team
A hospital-based infant transport team has been in operation at UNC since 1975 and is part of Carolina Air Care, the UNC Hospitals transport service. The transport team has 15 members with over 100 years of combined service. Every infant transport team includes a pediatric respiratory therapist and a neonatal nurse clinician.
At present, our infant transport team transports about 95 percent of high-risk infants referred to N.C. Children’s Hospital. The team travels in one of two aeromedical helicopters stationed at UNC Hospitals or via a transport ambulance van. An active back-transport program returns infants to community hospitals.
Special Infant Care Clinic
Selected high-risk infants return to the Special Infant Care Clinic. Emphasis is placed on developmental evaluation and intervention programs for infants with developmental delays or those at risk for delays. The clinic team includes physicians, nursing staff, social workers, physical therapists, a speech pathologist and a nutritionist. Other medical specialties are available for consultation.
Children are generally followed for a period of two years in coordination with the infant’s local physician or Public Health Department. Long-term follow-up for those with handicaps is arranged with appropriate medical specialists or developmental intervention groups.
Subspecialty Support
Pediatric subspecialty support is available in the following areas:
- Anesthesiology
- Audiology
- Cardiology
- Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
- Child Development
- Dermatology
- Developmental Psychology
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Genetics
- Hematology-Oncology
- Immunology and Rheumatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Metabolic Diseases
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopedics
- Ophthalmology
- Pastoral Care
- Pathology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pediatric ENT Surgery
- Pharmacology
- Physical Therapy
- Plastic Surgery
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Rehabilitation/Birth Defects
- Respiratory Therapy
- Social Work
- Urology
Rex Hospital
Rex Hospital, located in Raleigh, NC, is a community-based hospital within the UNC Healthcare system. Rex Hospital has an obstetrical service that averages 5000-6000 deliveries per year. The Special Care Nursery at Rex is a 16 bed, level 3 unit. The neonatology team includes three neonatologists and 24/7 NP coverage. The neonatal team cares for 450-500 newborns each year.
Scholarship responsibilities for the fellow include identifying an area of interest and senior faculty member to oversee a project. Each fellow is expected to complete a scholarly project and prepare a report of that activity or a manuscript for publication within the three-year training period.
For fellows primarily interested in clinical research training, we encourage pursuit of an advanced degree. A program leading to a Masters of Public Health may be integrated into the training program. Fellow interested in Medical Director roles or QI can receive intensive training with the Quality Improvement Track. For fellows interested in laboratory and translational research training, UNC has many wonderful opportunities for collaboration. First and foremost, our Division Chief, Misty Good, is a nationally known researcher funded with multiple NIH RO-1 grants. Individuals interested in these training options should declare this interest during the application process.
UNC NPM has many resources available to fellows to support research activities. In addition to the research of individual faculty, UNC NPM has many fruitful collaborations with research networks, and quality improvement collaboratives.
NICHD NEONATAL RESEARCH NETWORK
UNC is a partner with Duke as a member of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. This network conducts multi-center clinical trials and observational studies in neonatal medicine in order to reduce infant morbidity and mortality and promote healthy outcomes. Dr. Matt Laughon is the UNC Site PI.
This group of researchers has followed over one thousand children born at least 3 months early between 2002 and 2004 at 14 different hospitals in 5 states. Fellows can apply to access this rich dataset for studies. Dr. Mike O’Shea is the PI leading this cohort study.
NICHD Pediatric Trials Network
The PTN is a network of clinical research sites who study the formulation, dosing, efficacy and safety of drugs and medical devices used in pediatric patients. UNC is an active site for the conduct of PTN studies. Dr. Matt Laughon is on the executive board of the PTN.
NICHD Global Network for Women and Children’s Health Research
The Global Network (GN) is a group of 7 research dyads that conduct clinical trials with the goal of evaluating low-cost, sustainable interventions to improve maternal and child health. Each research dyad consists of a US site partnered with a site in a low to low-middle income country. UNC NPM has enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the Kinshasa School of Public Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo and together, we have been a part of the GN for more than 10 years. The UNC GN Site is led by Drs. Carl Bose and Melissa Bauserman.
Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina (PQCNC)
The Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina works to make North Carolina the best place to give birth and be born. We work with 90 delivery hospitals across NC via their hospital perinatal quality improvement teams on quality improvement initiatives, implementing best care practices via easy to execute, low tech, minimal data intensive processes. Dr. Marty McCaffrey is the Director of PQCNC.
QI Training and QI Track
All fellows in the UNC NPM fellowship will receive formative training in quality improvement and safety methodology and implementation research. Depending on the fellow’s career goals, he/she has the opportunity to engage in more substantive quality improvement work, through scholarly activity with a QI or safety concentration. Any fellow can have a QI concentration of their scholarly work, even if they are not the designated “QI fellow.”
We reserve one of our seven fellowship positions for a fellow designated on the QI Track. This fellow will have substantial focus on QI activities. Activities in this track will train the fellow to be a leader in QI/Safety in their future career and will be ideal for academic physicians, medical directors and leaders of community programs.
Fellows receive individualized mentorship within the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and from faculty in the UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement and will interact with Improvement Fellows, Scholars and Leaders from other disciplines. Sample activities in QI curriculum include Quality Improvement methodology, safety and leadership courses offered through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), APA or Vermont Oxford Network (VON) QI courses, leadership of QI projects within the NCCC, membership on hospital committees and presentation at National Meetings.
Global Health Research
UNC NPM has supported scholarly activities in global health for more than 10 years. Three of our faculty members (Drs. Bose, Bauserman and Patterson) specialize in global health research with research foci in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua. These researchers have experience in a wide variety of global health projects from epidemiology to discovery research to randomized control trials and implementation research.
Our faculty have led the UNC-Kinshasa School of Public Health (Democratic Republic of Congo) Partnership for more than 15 years. Together with KSPH, we are members of the NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. Through this network of 8 sites in low and low-middle income countries, we research interventions to improve the lives of mothers and infants. Fellows interested in global health also benefit from collaborations and educational resources in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the top public school of public health in the country. Many fellows within an interest in global health, also chose to obtain an MPH as part of their training.
Sample Publications from fellow projects in global health at UNC NPM:
Essential Care for Every Baby: improving compliance with newborn care practices in rural Nicaragua.
Perez K, Patterson J, Hinshaw J, Escobar C, Parajon D, Parajon L, Bose C.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Sep 12;18(1):371. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-2003-y.
PMID:30208870
Implementing Education to Reduce Neonatal Mortality in Low-Resource Environments.
Patterson JK, Bose CL.
Pediatrics. 2017 May;139(5). pii: e20164172. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-4172. Epub 2017 Apr 17. No abstract available.
PMID: 28557754
A cluster-randomized trial determining the efficacy of caterpillar cereal as a locally available and sustainable complementary food to prevent stunting and anaemia.
Bauserman M, Lokangaka A, Gado J, Close K, Wallace D, Kodondi KK, Tshefu A, Bose C.
Public Health Nutr. 2015 Jul;18(10):1785-92. doi: 10.1017/S1368980014003334. Epub 2015 Jan 29.
PMID:25631295
Caterpillar cereal as a potential complementary feeding product for infants and young children: nutritional content and acceptability.
Bauserman M, Lokangaka A, Kodondi KK, Gado J, Viera AJ, Bentley ME, Engmann C, Tshefu A, Bose C.
Matern Child Nutr. 2015 Dec;11 Suppl 4:214-20. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12037.
PMID:23557509
Educational impact of a hospital-based neonatal resuscitation program in Ghana.
Bookman L, Engmann C, Srofenyoh E, Enweronu-Laryea C, Owen M, Randolph G, Price W, Barker P.
Resuscitation. 2010 Sep;81(9):1180-2. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2010.04.034. Epub 2010 Jul 4.
PMID:20599314
Obtaining an MPH
Fellows who are interested in expanding their analytic skills in epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, implementation science or public health principles, could benefit from additional training that leads to a Master’s of Public Health degree. We are fortunate to be located within steps of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Over the past 20 years, about one-third of our fellows have successfully completed an MPH during their three-year fellowship. The division has been able to financially support fellows coursework within the SPH for fellows whose Scholarship Oversight Committee recommends such coursework as part of the fellow’s scholarly activities.
Most fellows complete the Population Care for Clinicians track (formerly Health Care and Prevention) due to its focus for practicing physicians. This coursework can be completed in 12 months and will take place in the second year of fellowship. Clinical schedules will be adjusted accordingly to accommodate coursework (see sample table below).
If you are interested in pursuing this program, please let us know during the application phase.
Below are examples of flexibility in scheduling to meet individual needs:
| Standard Track | MPH Track | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC NCC | Rex or Complex Care | UNC NCC | Rex or Complex Care | |
| Year 1 | 17 wks | 3 wks | 22 wks | |
| Year 2 | 14 wks | 3 wks | 6 wks | |
| Year 3 | 11-14 wks | 3-6 wks | 18-21 wks | 0-3 wks |
First Year Fellows
Amalia Lee, MD
Hey Everyone! I was born and raised in Waldorf, MD. Then, I followed the Sun (and warmth!) to North Carolina and never looked back. I went to North Carolina State University (GO PACK!) for undergraduate training where I majored in Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry. I enlisted in the Army National Guard after high school and completed ROTC program while in undergrad to earn my commission as an officer. I have continued my military service with the Army throughout my medical training. I love North Carolina so much I stayed for medical school at UNC (even though they are our rival school), where I stayed an extra year to earn my Master’s of Public Health. The amazing culture, commitment to diversity, well-rounded training, and most importantly the people; made it an easy decision to remain at UNC for residency.
I desired to stay at UNC as a fellow because of the amazing people, commitment to teaching/mentorship, and breath of opportunities for research. My research interests center on neurodevelopmental health outcomes, involvement with the NICU follow up clinic, medical education, and health disparities. I have an amazing husband and together we have two wonderful daughters: Aria and Maya who keep us on our toes! Outside of the hospital, you can find my family and me cheering for NC State at sporting events, exploring museums/parks/zoo, or hanging out at the beach! My own time is spent cycling/strength training with my Peloton!
Kendra Martinez, MD
I am originally from Texas where I received my BS in Biochemistry and Genetics at Texas A&M University before continuing onto medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. During medical school, I learned I was interested both in global health as well as neonatology. With this in mind, I moved to Minnesota and completed my pediatric residency at the University of Minnesota. Following residency, I stayed at UMN as a Pediatric Global Health Chief where I worked halftime as a neonatal hospitalist at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota prior to spending the remainder of the year working at a hospital in Arusha, Tanzania. I applied to UNC for fellowship due to the strong global health representation within the department ultimately choosing UNC due to the supportive environment. I am interested in global neonatology, particularly as it pertains to resuscitation, low-cost respiratory support, and nutrition. My husband and I have a 1 year old son as well as a border collie named Boy Scout. We enjoy hiking and bike rides especially when we are scoping out a new ice cream parlor.
Second Year Fellows
Macrina Liguori, MD
I was born in Norfolk, VA but spent most of my childhood in Austin, TX, where I was a pre-professional ballet dancer. After discovering a fascination of biology in high school, I decided to pursue a pre-med track. I received my BA from Hendrix College in Arkansas with a major in Biology and minor in Spanish. I moved back to Texas for medical school, where I trained at UT Southwestern in Dallas. I joined the UNC family as a pediatric resident and have loved my time here. Like some of my co-fellows, I had always thought that neonatology was an interesting field, and my time in the unit as a resident solidified my decision to stay on as a neonatal fellow. I am particularly interested in the fields of bioethics and palliative care and their respective roles in the NICU. Outside of the unit, I love to listen to live music, stay active, bargain shop, and spend time with my husband and our energetic puppies, Pepper and Winston.
Amy MacKay, MD
I grew up in Mobile, Alabama and attended undergrad at Birmingham-Southern College and then medical school at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before starting medical school, I gained basic science research skills and worked on my French fluency by doing a Fulbright year of research in Lausanne, Switzerland. The true highlight of the year was meeting my now husband, Stephen, in Switzerland and all the travels that living in Europe entails. He is from South Africa and was there doing research as well. After completing medical school, I did my pediatric residency in Norfolk, Virginia at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughter’s (Eastern Virginia Medical School). I was drawn to UNC to complete my NICU fellowship because of the family atmosphere, research opportunities and wonderful location. My research interests involve global health and neonatal resuscitation. We have two cats and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Swansea. We love spending time outdoors and checking out all the breweries and local restaurants.
Third Year Fellows
Neha Hassan, MD
Hi everyone, my name is Neha Hassan and I am excited to be a part of the UNC Neonatology family. I was born and raised in Hyderabad, India. I went to medical school in China at Jiangsu University and decided to come to the US after I graduated from medical school. I spent a few years in India and the US while studying for the USMLE and gaining clinical experience. I enjoyed my time spent in Northern Virginia before I moved to Greenville, NC. I just finished Pediatrics Residency at East Carolina University and enjoyed the three years I spent there. I always had a passion towards Neonatology. I enjoyed my UNC interview experience, the faculty was very approachable and my most memorable experience was the lunch with the fellows. I’m interested in the extremely low birth weight patient population and global health research. On a fun note, I also enjoy trying different cuisines, cooking, gardening, art and music. I am excited to be in the triangle area for the next three years and look forward to exploring all that it has to offer.
Simone Schneider, MD
I grew up in South Florida and attended undergrad at the University of Florida. I then moved to Chicago, Illinois for medical school at Rush University, and stayed in the area for pediatrics residency at the University of Chicago. After residency I was a neonatal hospitalist at Northwestern University prior to moving a little closer to home and to warmer weather to start NICU fellowship at UNC. I was drawn to UNC due to their strong clinical experience, diversity of patients, abundant research opportunities, and the tight knit family feel to the division.
My clinical interests are in neuro-developmental outcomes of extremely premature infants. My husband is also a physician at UNC and we have a 1 year old daughter. My family and I love spending time outdoors, trying new restaurants, and listening to live music.
Lana Zhang, MD
Hi everyone! I was born in China but grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland. I went to UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) for college where I studied Biology and English literature. During undergrad, I participated in some really interesting research on cocaine addiction in rats and pheromones in mice. I went to medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. It took me all four years, but I finally started to love country music! I later performed clinical research at Children’s National in DC on orthostatic hypotension the year following medical school. Soon after, I relocated to Norfolk, VA for residency at CHKD (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters). I developed a “Residents As Teachers” curriculum by creating Chalk-Talks to teach medical students and instructed other residents to insert umbilical lines. I quickly grew to love all the babies, decided that I wanted to be a Neo, and applied for NICU fellowship. In addition to being impressed by UNC’s kind people and level of academic research, I know that I will receive great training here. My partner and I are very excited to be in the area and explore all the wonderful food. Our little family includes a high-energy labradoodle puppy named Sebastian and a spunky bunny named Gus Gus.
2022 Graduates
Sean Shannon, MD
I spent my childhood touring various Air Force bases before attending Western Kentucky University for undergraduate training in Chemistry and Biology. There I met my wonderful wife, then traveled to her hometown for medical school at the University of Louisville. Residency training brought me to UNC, and under the mentorship of our incredible faculty I cultivated my passion for neonatology. I desired to stay on as a fellow because of the brilliant group of attendings, fellows, and practitioners who make each day of work exponentially better. There is also no shortage of opportunity and encouragement to begin building a successful career. My research interests center on utilizing point-of-care ultrasound, including implementation and curriculum development. Outside of the hospital, I enjoy exploring the beautiful parks and trails of North Carolina with my wife and two dogs, studying history, and experimenting with new recipes. Except for fall weekends and winter afternoons reserved for cheering on the Tar Heels, with just a touch of confliction when our Louisville Cardinals are in town.
Chris Zimmerman, MD
I am originally from North Carolina and went to UNC – Chapel Hill for undergraduate school. I completed my medical school training at Eastern Virginia Medical School and my pediatric residency at Duke University Medical Center. I love the triangle area and all it has to offer including fun restaurants, great lakes for fishing and other activities, and it is so close to the beach where I love to surf and soak up the sun. I love the true comradery that UNC’s Neonatology program offers and the program leadership could not be more supportive. Also, the award-winning transport team is such a unique experience and the support we provide to hospitals across the state provides a nice sense of purpose. My research interests include long-term renal outcomes and the development of clinical risk stratification tools to help limit long-term morbidity/mortality.
2021 Graduates
Krysten North, MD
I am originally from Maryland. I received a BS in Molecular Biology at Grove City College, then attended medical school at Columbia University in New York City. During medical school, I received a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on Global Health at Harvard. I completed my pediatrics residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After residency, I worked as a pediatrician for Cincinnati Children’s at a large government hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, then as a neonatal hospitalist at the University of Washington in Seattle. I came to UNC because of the rich global health environment, both in the Department of Pediatrics and in the Gillings School of Public Health. I have been thrilled by the support I’ve received for my global health research during fellowship. When I’m not in the NCCC, I enjoy exploring the parks around Chapel Hill with my three young kids, bike commuting, and growing tomatoes in my front yard.
Mary Terrell, MD
Another native Marylander, I grew up down the street from the University of Maryland at College Park, where my mother worked and I eventually earned a BS in Biological Sciences with minors in Spanish and Child Studies. While attending medical school at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, I completed a rural medicine elective on the north shore of Oahu. I (not surprisingly) fell in love with both the Hawaiian islands and (more surprisingly—ha!) my future husband, a childhood friend from Maryland—and went on to complete an internship in Pediatrics at UH/Kapiolani Medical Center. Once our family grew, the East Coast eventually drew us back. I was particularly attracted to the “college town” feel of Chapel Hill, familiar from my childhood home. I completed my pediatric residency at UNC, where I experienced firsthand the Goldilocks combination of top-notch teaching and mentorship with heartfelt community and collegiality. It was an easy decision to remain here for fellowship, where I’ve been encouraged and supported in pursuing my varied research and education interests, including breastfeeding medicine, pharmacoepidemiology and neonatal point-of-care ultrasound. Outside of training, when I’m not being a soccer mom or restarting Couch to 5K (again), you can usually find me with my husband and our four children doing what NC offers best: checking out a new hike, chasing waterfalls in the mountains, or catching waves at the beach.
Please take a few moments to meet the faculty and staff of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to the principle of equal opportunity. We believe that the richness of a diverse workplace drives all to their very best, professionally and personally. Cultural competence is not only about relating to patients and their families; it is about working in a culturally rich environment. The patient population we serve at UNC Hospitals is remarkably diverse and, as such, diversity in our residency, fellowship, nursing, faculty and staff enables us to better serve their needs. Promoting diversity in our residency programs is the right thing for our institution, and enables us to provide the very best in clinical care, education and research to the remarkable patients that we serve. It is the policy of this University not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, national origin, religion, or handicap with regard to its students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment. Federal law also prohibits such discrimination. Any complaints alleging failure of this institution to follow this policy should be brought to the attention of Ms. Susan H. Ehringhaus, Assistant to the Chancellor, at (919) 962-1219.
Stipends are commensurate with level of training in this institution. Benefits include health insurance, UNC Hospitals’ professional liability insurance, cost of North Carolina medical licensure, generous paid time off, support for travel to national meetings, and a book allowance.
If the kind of training outlined here interests you, we will be happy to receive and consider your application. If you have any questions about this training program, please phone or write to:
Wayne A. Price, MD
Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
UNC School of Medicine
CB# 7596, UNC Hospitals, N4051
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7596
Office (984) 974-5063
FAX (984) 974-7857
Information for Applicants
The Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine will participate in the match for all of our open fellowship positions. Please refer to the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) Web site for details.
Applications for fellowship and reference letters will be accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®). Please refer to the ERAS Website for details.
Required ERAS supporting documents:
- Medical School transcript
- Dean’s letter or MSPE
- USMLE or COMLEX scores
- ECFMG status (FMGs only)
- Three letters of reference – one from current Program Director
- Personal statement
- Photograph (optional)
Foreign medical graduates must complete a three-year residency in a US institution and pass the ECMFG prior to beginning the fellowship program. UNC Hospitals will accept residents who have been issued a J-1 Visa and who hold a current ECFMG Certificate. H1-B visas are not sponsored.