Meet the Team
We recognize that the best care comes from putting the best minds together to improve outcomes for your baby. A dedicated care team is essential to supporting your family and your baby. This includes the St. Louis region’s first and only CDH specific team for NICU care.
To support your family through this journey, we help inform you of treatment options and help you prepare to make smart choices for you and your baby before, during, and after delivery. Your CDH care team includes:
- You and your family
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physicians
- Pediatric Surgeons
- Neonatologists
- Nurse Coordinators
- Social Workers
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
- Specialized CDH Nursing team
- Cardiologists specializing in Pulmonary Hypertension
- Pulmonologists
- Neonatal Neurologists
- Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapists
- Nutritionists
- Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT)
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Clinic
-
Tasnim Najaf, MD
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Jesse Vrecenak, MD
- Surgery-Pediatric
-
Patrick Sloan, MD, MS
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Steven Brennan, MD
- Pulmonology-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Christopher Smyser, MD
- Neurology-Pediatric
-
Rafael Galindo, PHD, MD
- Neurology-Pediatric
-
Donna Richardson, RN
Clinic Coordinator
-
Laura Ruhland, RN
Clinic Coordinator
-
Laura Berry, RD
Dietitian
Fetal Care Center and NICU team for CDH patients
-
Katherine Bligard, MD
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Gynecology
- Obstetrics
-
Tasnim Najaf, MD
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Patrick Sloan, MD, MS
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Melissa Riley, MD
Medical Director, SLCH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Anna Lijowska, MD
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine-Pediatric
- Pediatrics
-
Sarah Smith, RN
Nurse Coordinator
-
Ashley Shields, RN
