The Division of Newborn Medicine, under the direction of Dr. Ian R. Holzman, consists of four faculty members located at The Mount Sinai Hospital, four faculty members located at Elmhurst Hospital Center, and two faculty members at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey. Fellows at various stages of training also provide clinical care at two of the centers. The Division has close ties to the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, which allows for improved clinical care and research cooperation on a number of projects.

There is a strong clinical and basic science research program in a number of areas relating to the newborn. A significant portion of the basic molecular biology and immunologic investigation occurs in the Fuld Newborn Medicine Research Laboratory. The major focus of investigation in the Division centers on necrotizing enterocolitis and includes the use of an animal model as well as basic science studies of the role of small chain fatty acids as disrupters of intestinal mucosal integrity. A second area of interest (in collaboration with the Division of Nephrology) involves an examination of the role of potassium channels in uterine contractility and preterm labor. Clinical projects have included studies of newer modes of ventilatory support, the impact of nuchal cords on cord blood acidosis, and epidural anesthesia during labor and breast feeding success. There is also a strong emphasis on bioethics scholarship and teaching in the Division.

The Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder Newborn Intensive Care Unit is the focus of clinical activities for the Division of Newborn Medicine. The NICU is a state-of-the-art 35-bed unit with over 600 admissions a year, including 75 transports from other hospitals utilizing our own transport system. Patients have a wide range of medical and surgical problems with many requiring the input of a wide array of disciplines. . There is a special emphasis on the management of infants with inborn errors of metabolism, liver diseases (including pre-transplant management), short gut syndrome and intestinal transplant, congenital heart disease and dialysis. The NICU philosophy is for family-centered care with two full time social workers, rehabilitation specialists and developmental pediatricians. The intensive care unit has private areas devoted to breast feeding and milk storage and a "nesting" room where families may spend a night with their infant prior to discharge. This arrangement allows parents to adjust to caring for their child and allows the staff to observe parenting skills.