Faculty & Staff

Bio

Indu Agarwal, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. She received her medical and post-doctoral degrees in OB/Gyn at King George's Medical College; Lucknow, India. She completed residencies in both OB/Gyn and Pediatrics in Lucknow, India; Philadelphia, PA; and Lubbock, TX. She completed a fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Texas Tech University and Lubbock General Hospital.

Dr. Agarwal is board-certified in Pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine. She sees patients in the NICU at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital and the Special Care Nurseries at Fairview Ridges and Fairview Southdale. Her areas of research interest include perinatal nutrition and public health issues that impact NICU graduates.

Bio

Benjamin al-Haddad holds a master’s degree in Health Policy, Planning and Finance from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He attended the University of Minnesota for Medical School and completed a PhD in Epidemiology in the School of Public Health studying Cancer Surveillance in Nigeria. He received training in Pediatrics and in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Washington & Seattle Children's Hospital.

His work focuses on early detection of disability in neonates, novel methods in epidemiology, application of Bayesian statistics and long-term neurodevelopmental and psychiatric outcomes of in-utero and early life exposures.

Bio

Thomas Bastian, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. Dr. Bastian's research focuses on understanding the metabolic regulation of both normal and pathogenic brain development. His lab is particularly interested in the basic neurodevelopmental biology of micronutrients (e.g., iron, zinc, copper, etc) and how developing brain cells metabolically adapt to disruptions to nutrient perturbations. Dr. Bastian's research is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Pediatrics.

Research Summary

Research in the Bastian Lab focuses on uncovering the cellular/molecular mechanisms by which specific nutrients regulate brain development. We have a particular interest in metabolic interactions among micronutrients (e.g., iron, iodine, copper, and zinc) and metabolic regulators (e.g., thyroid hormone), which are directly involved in cellular energy metabolism in the developing brain. Our goal is to understand how these interactions contribute to proper brain development. We use primary neuron culture and in vivo transgenic approaches to manipulate cellular levels of micronutrients (and other metabolic pathways) in developing brain cells, allowing us to study interactions between cellular metabolic processes that are critical for neurodevelopment. This line of research is also clinically relevant as early-life micronutrient deficiencies are common and cause abnormal neurodevelopment in humans.

Currently, our main research focus is on how early-life iron deficiency and subsequent iron repletion alter mitochondrial energy metabolism in developing neurons and how this contributes to the neurobehavioral deficits that persist into adulthood. A second goal is to understand how intracellular iron storage and utilization is regulated in developing neurons.

Bio

Catherine M. Bendel, MD, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. She earned her MD, served her internship and residency and completed her Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Minnesota. In addition to attending on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Bendel serves as the Director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program and as the department-wide fellowship director. Her early research interests included neonatal infectious diseases in general and the pathogenesis of infections with Candida albicans, in particular. She received two U.S. patents for Candida albicans integrin-like proteins. More recently she has focused on both fellow education and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion efforts. She has published in Pediatric Research, Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics, Critical Care Medicine and Pediatric Infectious Disease and contributions to book chapters.

Clinical Summary

Neonatology; Neonatal Infectious Diseases; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Bio

Ellen Diego, MD was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where she also attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (UCCOM). Ellen then moved to Burlington, VT to complete her pediatric residency training and stayed on as the Chief Resident at the University of Vermont Children's Hospital. While in Vermont, she developed a passion for sharp cheddar cheese, maple syrup and composting! Dr. Diego then moved to Charleston, South Carolina to complete her subspecialty training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

Research Summary

During residency, Dr. Diego was certified as a Master Trainer in the Helping Babies Survive (HBS) suite of essential newborn care curriculum for use in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Dr. Diego then joined the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) Global Health Volunteer program based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she conducted delivery room clinical training for Ethiopia’s first Masters of Neonatal Nursing Program at Addis Ababa University (AAU). Her scholarly interests focus on closing the gaps in neonatal morbidity and mortality by improving the quality of essential newborn care and resuscitation in LMICs. Dr. Diego has a keen interest in global health mentorship for trainees and continues to serve as Clinical Faculty at AAU where she is active in clinical education through virtual platforms. Dr. Diego facilitates a reoccurring student-led virtual clinical case audit series for targeting best practice gaps in tertiary care hospitals in Ethiopia. She is also a member of the AAP Helping Babies Survive Quality Indicator Task Force developing a directory of quality metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs in LMIC birth facilities.

Bio

Melissa Engel, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. She received her MD from the University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities, completed residency in pediatrics at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA and returned to the state for her Neonatal-Perinatal fellowship at the University of Minnesota. She is the medical director of the Cardiovascular Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Clinic, which focuses on early childhood development for infants with critical congenital heart disease that requires surgery. Her research interests include state-wide Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) screening and neurodevelopmental outcomes for children with congenital heart disease. In addition, Melissa is the liaison for the University of Minnesota's membership in CNOC—the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative—which aims to improve early childhood development with international collaboration for ongoing research in critical congenital heart diseases and subsequent medical therapies.

Clinical Summary

Neonatology; Congenital Heart Disease; Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in premature infants and infants with Congenital Heart Disease

Bio

Nancy Fahim, MD graduated from Cairo University School of Medicine. She completed post graduate pediatric training at both Cairo University Children’s Hospital and Lincoln Hospital in New York before completing her Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Washington University. Her clinical interests include optimizing the use of breast milk in the NICU and promoting exclusive breastfeeding for all newborns with the understanding of the unique protective and nutritional properties of breast milk, in addition to promoting a family-centered approach for care of infants in the NICU. Her research interests include evaluating the neuroprotective effect of endogenous and exogenous Erythropoietin on the developing brain of extremely premature infants.

Bio

Cheryl A. Gale, MD, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. She earned her MD from the University of Minnesota, and completed her internship and residency at Washington University-St. Louis Children's Hospital in St. Louis before returning to the University of Minnesota to complete a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. In addition to attending on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, Dr. Gale is an established investigator in the areas of fungal pathogenesis and infant gut microbiome effects on short- and long-term health. She has published in Science, Eukaryotic Cell, and Journal of Nutrition, among others. Dr. Gale held the Minnesota Chapter Research Award from the March of Dimes from 2000 to 2002.

Clinical Summary

Neonatal Infectious Diseases

Bio

Michael K. Georgieff, MD, holds the position of the Martin Lenz Harrison Land Grant Chair in Pediatrics. He is a Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Developmental Psychology, the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and the Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development. He received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He served his internship, residency and neonatal fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Minnesota. In addition to caring for patients on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Georgieff is Director of the NICU Follow-up Program. Dr. Georgieff's research focuses on fetal/neonatal nutrition and brain development, specifically on the effect of early life iron nutrition and neurocognitive function. He has been continuously funded in this field by the National Institutes of Health for 30 years and has published over 250 scientific articles. He advises the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institutes of Health and UNICEF on nutrition and early child development.

Clinical Summary

Iron and infant development; Maternal-fetal medicine; Neonatology; Perinatal iron metabolism

Clinical Summary

Prematurity Prevention; Fetal Inflammation; Neuro-developmental Outcome

Bio

Sixto F. Guiang, III, MD, is Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. Dr. Guiang earned his MD from the University of Minnesota in 1987. He subsequently continued his training at the University of Minnesota, completing his Pediatric Residency in 1990 and his Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship in 1993. His research interests have included investigating the effects of hypoxia on fetal myocardial development, and the use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. He currently coordinates the Neonatal ECMO program at UMMCH. Dr. Guiang's publications have appeared in the American Journal of Physiology as well as the Journal of Developmental Physiology. He is active in the educational program in the Department of Pediatrics, coordinating both the Pediatric residency and medical student clinical rotations on the NICU.