Baptist Women’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and Dr. Esmond Arrindell, a neonatologist with Baptist, hosted Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan on Monday, Jan. 16 for his lecture – “BPD-NEC-ROP: Brain-Heart-Axis; Human Milk May Be the Missing Link and Role of NIPPV (Nasal Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation) to Decrease Lung Injury.” Dr. Ramanathan, also referred to as “Dr. Ram,” discussed the importance of an exclusive human milk diet in decreasing serious complications in the premature infant, such as chronic lung disease, intestinal complications, infection and eye damage. He also spoke about the RAM Cannula, which Baptist Women’s Hospital’s NICU uses. Dr. Ramanathan developed and patented the RAM Cannula for the delivery of noninvasive ventilation, which is associated with decreased chronic lung disease.
The event had 26 attendees, including neonatologists and nurse practitioners from the NICUs at Methodist, Regional One and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Two of Dr. Ramanathan’s former fellows also attended: Dr. Mark Weems and Dr. Evan Sander. Dr. Arrindell coordinated the Prolacta grant received by Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation that funded Dr. Ramanathan’s trip from California. He also arranged the luncheon lecture and tour of Baptist Women’s Hospital and Baptist Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Ramanathan is Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He is Chief of the Division of Neonatal Medicine at LAC+USC Medical Center and Associate Director of the Center for Neonatology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is the Medical Director of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, Division of Neonatology at LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he is also Director of the Neonatal Respiratory Therapy Department. Dr. Ramanathan directs one of the largest fellowship programs in neonatal-perinatal medicine in the country, with 18 fellows in the program.
He is also Vice-Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Section Head of the Division of Neonatology at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan and was elected to serve as President of the California Association of Neonatologists, one of the largest organizations of neonatologists in the country.
