The Incubator

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review a large cohort study from the Journal of Perinatology on the prevalence and safety of diazoxide in the NICU. With neonatal hypoglycemia seemingly on the rise, they discuss off-label use for transient hyperinsulinism and evaluate real-world data from over 340 Pediatrix units. They dive into the rates of concurrent diuretic therapy...

Send us Fan Mail In this Journal Club episode, Ben and Daphna review the highly anticipated TREOCAPA trial results exploring the prophylactic use of acetaminophen for PDA closure in extremely preterm infants. They break down the study's tailored dosing regimens, safety outcomes like cholestasis, and discuss why achieving a higher rate of early ductal closure didn't necessarily translate...

Send us Fan Mail Live from the NEO Conference in Las Vegas, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Tarek Nakhla to discuss his new book, Saving Babies Behind the Doors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Moving beyond standard medical textbooks, Dr. Nakhla shares how chronicling nearly 30 years of challenging patient encounters and complex family dynamics can serve as an essential guide for new trainee...

Send us Fan Mail How can a database tracking 20% of all US NICU admissions change the way we practice neonatology? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Veeral Tolia to discuss his groundbreaking work with the Pediatrix Clinical Data Warehouse. Dr. Tolia dives into the power of leveraging decades of observational data to supplement randomized trials—from analyzing the 50-f...

Send us Fan Mail How will artificial intelligence fundamentally change the way we chart, teach, and monitor patients in the NICU? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. James Barry to explore the critical need for "AI literacy" among bedside clinicians. Dr. Barry draws parallels between driver's education and safe AI use, highlighting the hidden dangers of au...

Send us Fan Mail Can groundbreaking neonatal research thrive outside of academic medicine? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Kaashif Ahmad, Vice President of Research at Pediatrix. Dr. Ahmad shatters the myth that community NICUs can't drive clinical science, discussing how everyday documentation in systems like Baby Steps quietly fuels hundreds of publications. H...

Send us Fan Mail How does individualized medicine shape both patient trust and neonatal careers? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna catch up with Dr. Zubin Shah, Clinical Ambassador for Pediatrix. The team explores the power of tailoring bedside conversations to individual babies—whether discussing targeted hemodynamics or framing RSV prevention with nirsevimab—rather than relying solely...

Send us Fan Mail When parents fundamentally disagree on life-saving interventions in the delivery room, how do clinical teams decide the next step? Live from the NEO Conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Mark Mercurio, Executive Director of the new Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Mercurio dissects a highly complex ethical case regarding parental disagreemen...

Send us Fan Mail Join Ben and Daphna live from the NEO Conference as they welcome the 2026 Legends in Neonatology Award recipient, Dr. Waldemar "Wally" Carlo. In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Carlo discusses the driving forces behind his enduring passion for clinical care and the critical need for robust bedside research. They explore how full-time clinicians can actively shape the re...

Send us Fan Mail Does our fear of necrotizing enterocolitis do more harm than good? In this live episode from the Neo conference, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Ariel Salas to challenge the "culture of fear" surrounding neonatal nutrition. Dr. Salas argues that while we obsess over ill-defined NEC risks, we may be sacrificing the proven benefits of early feeding on sepsis reduction. Fr...

Send us Fan Mail Live from the Neo Conference in Las Vegas, Ben and Daphna sit down with Dr. Zach Anderson from Winnie Palmer Hospital to demystify the integration of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in the NICU. Moving beyond the intimidation of complex cardiac scans, Zach explains why starting with "pinch points" like vascular access or bladder volume can revolutionize bedside decision...

Send us Fan Mail In this live episode from the Neo Conference in Las Vegas, we welcome back Dr. Souvik Mitra to unpack the evolving landscape of PDA management in extremely preterm infants. We dive into the recent AAP guidelines recommending against early medical treatment and explore potential unintended consequences, including rising transcatheter closure rates and delayed intervention. Dr. Mitr...

Send us Fan Mail In this live episode from the Neo Conference in Las Vegas, we welcome back Dr. Souvik Mitra to unpack the evolving landscape of PDA management in extremely preterm infants. We dive into the recent AAP guidelines recommending against early medical treatment and explore potential unintended consequences, including rising transcatheter closure rates and delayed intervention. Dr. Mitr...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s journal club episodes, we review several interesting and important studies in neonatal medicine. Ben and Daphna start with a provocative echocardiography study out of Edmonton showing that standard chest compressions in newborns likely target the right heart and great vessels, not the left ventricle. A small sample size, but a finding that anyone who ultrasounds hea...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Neo News, we break down Colorado’s groundbreaking legislation mandating 12 weeks of paid leave for NICU parents—a potential blueprint for national change. We explore the critical intersection of policy, economics, and infant health, discussing why supporting families at the bedside isn't just morally right but economically smart. We also highlight new resea...

Send us Fan Mail Ben and Daphna conclude Journal Club with a quality improvement study from Pediatrics titled "Improving Health-Related Social Needs Screening and Support Across a Pediatric Health Care System". The hosts discuss the successful implementation of universal social determinants of health (SDOH) screening across nine pediatric divisions at Levine Children's. They highlig...

Send us Fan Mail Ben and Daphna review a randomized controlled trial published in The Journal of Pediatrics by Dr. Ariel Salas and colleagues at UAB. The study investigates whether early high-dose vitamin D supplementation (800 IU/day starting day 1) in extremely preterm infants reduces the incidence of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) compared to standard care (starting day 14). The hosts discuss...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review a retrospective cohort study from Pediatrics examining antibiotic duration for uncomplicated Gram-negative bloodstream infections in the NICU. The study, a collaboration between Nationwide Children’s Hospital and UT Health San Antonio, compares outcomes between short course (≤8 days) and long course (≥9 days) therapy. The host...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review a thought-provoking study from the Archives of Disease in Childhood titled "Chest Compression in Newborn Infants: What Anatomical Structures Are We Compressing?". The hosts explore the anatomical findings suggesting that current neonatal CPR guidelines—recommending compressions over the lower third of the sternum—may...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Sheri Fink, Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for The New York Times and author of Five Days at Memorial, joins us for a compelling discussion on the ethics of survival. Dr. Fink, an MD-PhD, discusses her recent article "Noah is Still Here," which chronicles one family's journey with Trisomy 18—a condition once universally deemed incompatible with life. She a...

Send us Fan Mail In this premiere episode of On with Von, The Incubator launches an exciting new collaboration with the Vermont Oxford Network (VON). Hosts Dr. Ben Courchia and Dr. Daphna Yasova Barbeau sit down with Dr. Roger Soll, President of VON, and Dr. Bob White, a pioneer in NICU design, to explore the critical "Evidence to Practice" gap in the NICU environment. Moving beyond simp...

Send us Fan Mail How much oxygen is enough when resuscitating extremely preterm infants? This week on The Incubator Podcast, Ben and Daphna explore the TORPIDO 30/60 trial comparing 60% versus 30% FiO2 at birth. While primary outcomes were similar, babies in the 60% group needed fewer chest compressions and less epinephrine—a signal worth discussing. They examine an Indian non-inferiority study on...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Neo News, the team examines the intersection of immigration policy and neonatal care. We review a recent op-ed discussing the "chilling effect" of immigration enforcement on families seeking care in "sensitive locations" like hospitals. The discussion highlights a harrowing report from The 19th about a family detained by ICE while en route to...

Send us Fan Mail In this segment, Ben and Daphna review a retrospective study from the Hospital for Sick Children comparing outcomes of therapeutic hypothermia in late preterm (34-35 weeks) versus early term (36-37 weeks) infants. They discuss the significantly higher rates of mortality, hemodynamic instability, and hypoglycemia found in the younger cohort, known as "Group 1". The hosts...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Journal Club, Ben and Daphna review a prospective cohort study from the Journal of Perinatology that examines the care of neonates following in-utero growth restriction. The hosts unpack the critical distinction between Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR) and Small for Gestational Age (SGA), highlighting how the "decay of information" in the NICU can lead c...