Our Speakers - INAC 2026

Meet our Speakers

Mariana Baserga

Alternate PI for the Division of Neonatology in the University of Utah NICHD Neonatal Research Network

Mariana Baserga

My primary research interest focuses on interventional studies intended to improve neuroprotection of term and preterm infants at risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. I have been involved in several collaborative multi-center trials as principal investigator, and I am currently the Alternate PI for the Division of Neonatology in the University of Utah NICHD Neonatal Research Network. In recent years, I served as the site-PI for the Preterm Erythropoietin Neuroprotection (PENUT) trial and for the Trial of Erythropoietin for Hypoxic–Ischemic Encephalopathy in Newborns (HEAL). We recently completed recruitment and follow up for the Dexmedetomidine Use in Infants Undergoing Cooling Due to Neonatal Encephalopathy trial (DICE) funded by the NICHD of which I was the PI.

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Olivier Baud

Pediatric Neonatologist and Neuroscience Researcher

Olivier Baud

Olivier Baud is a pediatric neonatologist and neuroscience researcher. From 2011 to 2017, he headed the neonatal intensive care unit at Robert Debré Children's Hospital, APHP, one of Europe's leading pediatric hospitals from 2011 to 2017. He founded his own Inserm research team in 2006, which has become a leader in preclinical research on neuroprotection and brain repair and clinical research in many areas of neonatal intensive care.

Olivier Baud was appointed university professor at Paris-Diderot University in 2006 and full professor of pediatrics at the University of Geneva in 2018. Back in Paris since September 2024, he heads the neonatal medicine and intensive care unit at Port-Royal, one of the largest neonatology centers in France and Europe. He recently obtained the FHU Prem'Impact label, which he will coordinate from 2025 to 2029. He is currently editor of the journals Neonatology and Pediatric Research. He is vice president of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. He has published more than 250 manuscripts, has an h-index of 64, and nearly 15,000 citations.

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Manon Benders

Scientific Committee & Local Chairperson

Manon Benders

Prof. Manon J.N.L. Benders, MD, PhD is Professor of Neonatal Medicine at the Department of Neonatology at UMC Utrecht and the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ), the Netherlands. She is an internationally recognized expert in neonatal brain injury, with a research focus on early detection, neuroprotection, and regenerative therapies to improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in high-risk infants, including those born preterm or affected by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and perinatal stroke.

Prof. Benders has extensive international clinical and research experience. During her career, she worked as a Junior Research Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as a Senior Research Fellow at the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), and as Senior Lecturer and Consultant Neonatologist at King’s College London and St Thomas’ Hospital, where she contributed to advancing neonatal neuroimaging and neuroprotection research.

Her work integrates advanced neuroimaging, neuromonitoring, and translational clinical trials, including pioneering studies on regenerative therapies for neonatal brain injury, for example stem cell. She leads several national and international research consortia and clinical trials and is committed to translating scientific discoveries into innovative therapies that improve outcomes for children and their families.

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Sophie Cramer

Medical Engineer at Leiden University Medical Center

Sophie Cramer

Sophie is a medical engineer at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, where she plays a pivotal role in integrating technology into the NICU. Her work bridges engineering and clinical practice: she designs and develops medical devices, trains healthcare professionals, and leads the implementation of medical technology in close collaboration with end-users.

She completed a post-master’s program in Qualified Medical Engineering and pursued a PhD focused on automating tactile stimulation for preterm infants suffering from apnea. Combining in-depth technical expertise with strong clinical insight, she successfully guided the design of an automated stimulation device from initial concept to product feasibility testing.

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Eric Eichenwald

Chief of the Division of Neonatology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Dr. Eric Eichenwald

Dr. Eric Eichenwald is the Chief of the Division of Neonatology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Thomas Frederick McNair Scott Endowed Chair, and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He is currently the Alternate PI for the University of Pennsylvania NIH Neonatal Research Network site, and was co-PI for an NICHD RO1 grant entitled “Intermittent Hypoxia and Caffeine in Infants Born Preterm (iCAF Study)”.

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Chris Gale

Professor of Neonatal Medicine and Deputy Director of Imperial Clinical Trials Unit

Chris Gale

Chris Gale is a Professor of Neonatal Medicine and Deputy Director of Imperial Clinical Trials Unit, he also works clinically as an honorary consultant neonatologist at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust. His research focuses on neonatal population health - improving neonatal care through large clinical trials, observational research and population-level surveillance.

Chris leads two of the largest randomised controlled trial ever undertaken in preterm care, aiming to prevent necrotising enterocolitis: the neoGASTRIC trial, and the United Kingdom arm of the WHEAT International trial. He also led surveillance of perinatal brain injuries for the Department for Health and Social Care in England. He has led observational research to improve feeding practices and nutrition of term and preterm babies.

A central aspect of this work is meaningful parent and patient involvement in neonatal research, particularly in randomised controlled trials. Other research interests include better understanding how prematurity and other early life factors influence health throughout later life, and efficiently disseminating clinical research findings to ensure evidence based neonatal care.

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Scott Guthrie

System Director for Neonatal Quality, Research, and Outreach and a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics (Neonatology)

Scott Guthrie

Dr. Scott Guthrie is the System Director for Neonatal Quality, Research, and Outreach at Erlanger Health System and a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics (Neonatology) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Chattanooga. In these roles, he provides strategic leadership to advance neonatal care delivery, quality improvement, and academic collaboration across the health system.

Dr. Guthrie joined Erlanger Health System in 2025, where he leads system-wide initiatives focused on improving neonatal outcomes through evidence-based practice, research integration, and regional outreach. His work emphasizes patient safety, quality metrics, and multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance care for critically ill and premature infants.

Prior to joining Erlanger, Dr. Guthrie spent 20 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, progressing from Clinical Fellow to Professor of Clinical Pediatrics. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to neonatal education, clinical care, global health, and faculty mentorship.

Dr. Guthrie earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from East Tennessee State University and completed a Certificate in Medical Education from the University of Cincinnati, reflecting his dedication to teaching excellence.

A respected clinician, educator, and leader, Dr. Guthrie remains deeply committed to advancing neonatal medicine and training the next generation of pediatric and neonatal specialists.

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Matthew Laughon

Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Matthew Laughon

Dr. Matthew Laughon is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and serves as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs for the Department of Pediatrics. A neonatologist and clinical trialist, he is recognized for expertise in neonatal clinical pharmacology and the design and conduct of early phase and multicenter clinical studies in premature and critically ill infants. His program of research is centered on improving infant public health by advancing safe, evidence-based therapeutics and accelerating neonatal drug development through innovative study design, rigorous methods, and collaborative network science. He has extensive experience leading multicenter trials, engaging diverse patient populations, and translating clinical research into practice-changing evidence. In addition to his scientific contributions, Dr. Laughon is a committed mentor with a strong track record of developing trainees and early-stage faculty into independent investigators and academic leaders. Through national collaborations and local program-building, he continues to strengthen the research, education, and clinical mission of academic neonatology.

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Cindy McEvoy

Professor of Pediatrics at the Oregon Health & Science University

Cindy McEvoy

Cindy McEvoy, MD, MCR is Professor of Pediatrics at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Doernbecher Children’s Hospital where she is the Credit Unions for Kids Endowed Professor in Pediatric Research, Director of Maternal Child Health Research for the Pediatric Department and Director of Research in Neonatology. She is a neonatologist and physician scientist whose research interest is on the primary prevention of childhood respiratory disease through in-utero and early life interventions with a focus on the use of pulmonary function testing to quantify outcomes. She currently has three NIH funded projects and 17 years of near continuous funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study interventions that will promote lifelong lung health.

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Ju-Lee Oei

Neonatologist and the Chair of Neonatology at Mater Research and the University of Queensland

Ju-Lee Oei

I am a neonatologist and the Chair of Neonatology at Mater Research and the University of Queensland. I am also a staff specialist at the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney and a Conjoint Professor at the University of New South Wales. I am the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. My research interests are in oxygen treatment of the newborn infant at delivery, prenatal drug exposure and large population datasets. I have >210 peer reviewer publications.

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Louise Owen

Associate Professor at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia

Louise Owen

Associate Professor Louise Owen is a UK trained neonatologist. She has worked at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia for the last 20 years where she is currently in the role of Newborn Research Director. Louise is also a Principal Research Fellow and Dame Kate Campbell Fellow at the University of Melbourne, and holds an Emerging Leadership Fellowship with the National Health and medical research Council of Australia. Louise splits her time between clinical care and research, her particular areas of interest and expertise include neonatal resuscitation and respiratory support, and the use and effect of alternative modes of consent.

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Colm Travers

Associate Professor in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Alabama

Colm Travers, MD

Colm Travers, MD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research interests include conducting clinical trials to reduce major morbidities and mortality among preterm infants, control of breathing and respiratory health in preterm infants, and long-term outcomes in survivors of prematurity.

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Niek van der Aa

Neonatologist and Clinical Researcher

Niek van der Aa

Niek van der Aa a neonatologist and clinical researcher at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, part of University Medical Center Utrecht. His work focuses on neonatal neurology and perinatal brain injury, particularly neonatal stroke and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. He completed his PhD at Utrecht University and gained international research experience at Johns Hopkins Hospital and University College London. He also completed advanced neonatal neurology training at The Hospital for Sick Children. His research integrates advanced neuroimaging and clinical follow-up to improve outcomes for infants with early brain injury. He is involved in multiple RCT’s aiming to improve long term outcome of infants admitted to the NICU.

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Calum Roberts

Neonatologist and the Group Lead for Neonatal Respiratory Research in the Department of Paediatrics, Monash University

Prof. Calum Roberts

Assoc. Prof. Calum Roberts is a Neonatologist at Monash Children’s Hospital, and the Group Lead for Neonatal Respiratory Research in the Department of Paediatrics, Monash University. His clinical research focuses primarily on trials to optimise respiratory support for preterm infants, including the HIPSTER, HUNTER and SHINE trials of nasal high-flow, the FONDUE trial of nasal CPAP at birth, and the current SURFSUP trial of supraglottic airway surfactant treatment. He has published 86 peer-reviewed articles, and his research is cited in major international guidelines, including European Consensus Guidelines on RDS, and ILCOR Neonatal Resuscitation Treatment Recommendations

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Carolin Böhne

Senior Physician, Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School (MHH)

Meet our Speakers

Mariana Baserga

Olivier Baud

Manon Benders

Sophie Cramer

Dr. Eric Eichenwald

Chris Gale

Scott Guthrie

Matthew Laughon

Cindy McEvoy

Ju-Lee Oei

Louise Owen

Colm Travers, MD

Niek van der Aa

Prof. Calum Roberts

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