Neonatal-Fetal Neurology

Our program is a one-year clinical fellowship in the evaluation and management of neurologic conditions impacting the fetal and newborn child. We provide comprehensive training in a large inpatient setting at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, including a newly expanded 150-bed NICU, combined with multiple outpatient specialty clinics.

We are able to provide this fully funded fellowship annually due to generous support from the Baker Family. The successful candidate has typically completed prior training in pediatric neurology, neonatology or neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Our next available position will start in July 2026.

Training goals

• Develop expertise in neurologic examination of newborns, including recognizing age-specific normal and abnormal findings.
• Understand neurologic complications in preterm and very low birth weight infants.
• Evaluate and manage neonatal seizures, including differentiating between acute symptomatic, genetic, and metabolic etiologies.
• Increase proficiency in evaluating neonatal and preterm EEGs, including electrographic elements, background activity, and seizure recognition.
• Interpret neonatal neurologic imaging, including fetal, preterm, and term MRI, vessel imaging, and MR spectroscopy.
• Communicate effectively with families regarding the neurologic course, evaluation, and management of neonatal diseases.
• Recognize and efficiently evaluate neonatal encephalopathy and assist in therapeutic hypothermia treatment.
• Identify primary neuromuscular, neurogenetic, and metabolic presentations in the neonatal period.
• Understand the importance of transitioning care from the NICU to home.
• Early identification and management of motor and coordination symptoms associated with early brain injury, and knowledge of appropriate therapy and equipment needs as the infant ages.

Fellowship structure

• Inpatient experience: Fellows will spend two to four weeks in blocks, making up at least 50% of the fellowship, on the NICU consult service. This service covers the neonatal ICU and infants under six months in the cardiac ICU. The role evolves throughout the year to aid in complete management of the service.
• Elective experience: Fellows can choose one to two week blocks in areas such as palliative care, genetics, therapy services, maternal-fetal medicine, PICU consult service, neurosurgery and research. Additional electives are available based on individual interest.

Elective opportunities

• Neonatal neurology clinics (1-2 per week)
• Neonatal neurology follow-up clinic
• Cardiac neurodevelopmental clinic
• Spina bifida clinic
• Neonatal/infant epilepsy
• Intellectual disability/developmental delay
• Congenital malformations
• Fetal consultations

Fellows will have opportunities to conduct mentored research during the fellowship and present their findings at national conferences. They will also develop an educational portfolio.

Call responsibilities

When on inpatient consult service, fellows will provide backup call and support for the NICU consult resident when they are post-call or in clinic. Otherwise, there are no call responsibilities after 5 p.m. on weekdays and no weekend call expectations.

Fellows

Past fellows

Name	Current position
Alexa Craig, MD, MSc	Assistant Professor, Maine Medical Center
Rafael Galindo, MD, PhD	Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
Siddharth Jain, MD	Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
A. Hafeez Khair, MD	Fellow, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Sarah Bauer Huang, MD, PhD	Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
Lindsay Peglar, MD, MS	Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
Darrah Haffner, MD	Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Neurology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Laura Vernon, MD	Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Neurology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Jennifer Keene, MD	Assistant Professor, University of Utah School of Medicine; Salt Lake City, Utah
Stephen Walker MD	Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Ekta Shah, DO	Pediatric Epilepsy Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis

Application process

Applications are currently being accepted for the fellowship position starting July 2026. For additional application information please contact: