From “A family of NICU graduates” to “A family of four”

Thanks to Pediatric Research for highlighting our work again. We have come a long way from the last highlight, both personally and professionally. We did go from “A family of NICU graduates” (neonatologist parents with our firstborn being premature with a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay) to “A family of four” (the second son came on time). Our personal experience will give a ray of hope to all parents of premature babies that sometimes statistics (the chances of having a second preterm birth after the first spontaneous one is estimated to be 30–40%) are not always against us (Fig. 1).¹

Fig. 1: Munmun Rawat, Ishaan Praveen, Praveen Chandrasekharan, Shriyaan Praveen.

Background—Niagara Falls, USA.

Since my fellowship days, I have been interested in translational and clinical research, evaluating the adaptation of cardio-pulmonary-neural aspects during the fetal transition at birth (Fig. 2). My current published research, “Placental transfusion during neonatal resuscitation in an asphyxiated preterm model,” helps understand the role of delayed cord clamping and cord milking in a depressed preterm model during neonatal resuscitation without requiring chest compressions.² We have also studied the interaction of oxygen exposure and delayed cord clamping in this model.³ Moving forward, we intend to understand the role of the intact umbilical cord resuscitation in a depressed preterm model, along with the interaction of oxygen exposure and oxidative injury.

Fig. 2

Dr. Praveen Chandrasekharan, MD, MS.

With the support of my wife and colleague, Dr. Munmun Rawat, I continue to pursue and enjoy this field of research. As an academic neonatologist, I have published my findings and had the privilege to serve as a reviewer for multiple journals and grant institutions, including the NIH. Along with my outstanding lab team, we have steered our research work and presented our findings at the esteemed “Pediatric Academic Society” annual meeting, which has been well received with various awards and accolades. Recently, I received an R01 grant from NICHD for my research proposal titled, “Optimizing chest compressions for bradycardia during neonatal resuscitation.”

In addition, our research has thrived during the pandemic with grant support from the American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program, ZOLL Foundation, NICHD, and NHLBI. The pandemic has brought a whole new perspective to life as well as clinical and academic medicine. I am grateful to our lab colleagues, fellows, division of neonatology, department of pediatrics, and the University at Buffalo for their constant support. Dr. Mausma Bawa, a neonatology fellow, deserves a special mention as she went above and beyond to complete the assigned projects during the pandemic and is currently Harvard bound for her next academic endeavors.

My collaboration with Dr. Satyan Lakshminrusimha, Dr. Steven Lipshultz, and Dr. Ranjit Singh on translational, clinical, and implementation science have been very rewarding and we plan to continue our work in the future. As a K12 implementation science scholar, I work on improving the quality of neonatal resuscitation. In addition, as the respiratory medical director at the Oishei Children’s Hospital, I am working on implementing protocols to reduce the incidence of chronic lung disease in extremely premature neonates. Professionally, as I transition to a tenured Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the esteemed State University of New York system, I look forward to taking up challenging leadership roles. Finally, as a motivated neonatologist/father, I will continue to focus my research on preterm and term transition, neonatal resuscitation, and the subsequent clinical outcomes.

With the recent pandemic, the need to encourage research is paramount. I urge neonatologists pursuing academia to contribute to building a thriving research environment. We learn a lot when guiding, mentoring, and inspiring junior colleagues (fellows/residents/practitioners/nurses, and students). I follow the saying, “It is in helping others we help ourselves!”