The Jack Cary Eichenbaum Summer Scholars Program in NYU Langone’s Division of Neonatology started in 1999 and provides medical and undergraduate students a unique opportunity to participate in neonatology research projects and clinical observational rotations. The goal of the eight-week program is to foster and encourage students’ interest in the importance of medical research and provide an introduction to the medical profession by allowing them to explore various aspects of neonatology.

Through the program, students are paired with a faculty member and a neonatal–perinatal fellow who mentor them to perform basic science or clinical neonatology research. Many of these projects are used in future publications, and more than 95 percent of the scholars pursue careers in medicine and healthcare. The program also provides an introduction to patient care and ethical issues in neonatal medicine and offers various events for networking and professional growth.

The program directors are Pradeep N. Mally, MD, and Sean M. Bailey, MD. For more information, contact Elizabeth Tavarez at elizabeth.tavarez@nyulangone.org or 212-263-7286.

Program Application

The Jack Cary Eichenbaum Summer Scholars Program is open to first-year medical students and undergraduate college students interested in a career in medicine. Undergraduate students should be actively enrolled and in good standing at their college or university at the time of application.

We appreciate your interest in our program. Our tentative 2023 program dates are July 10, 2023, to August 18, 2023.

At this time, the admissions cycle is complete. The application for summer 2024 will be available in mid-December.

Past Scholar Projects

The following research projects were conducted in 2022.

Continuous Positive Airway Versus High-Velocity Nasal Cannula for Weaning of Preterm Infants

By Maya Hatley, Isabelle Bautista, and Jasmine Forbes

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high-velocity nasal cannula (HVNC) are two modalities of noninvasive respiratory support used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone. Our objective was to compare CPAP and HVNC for weaning respiratory support from preterm infants less than 34 weeks gestational age. We completed a retrospective chart review of preterm infants born between April 2017 and April 2020 at our institution and who required respiratory support. Our primary outcome was the rate of chronic lung disease in babies using HVNC and CPAP. Secondary outcomes were respiratory complications, feeding difficulties, pressure injuries, and complications of prematurity.

Breech Premature Infants and Congenital Hip Dysplasia

By Zachary Henig and Alyssa Khoo

This study is a retrospective chart review examining the incidence of developmental hip dysplasia in preterm infants born breech. This study also reviews the variation in prescribing patterns for screening these infants with hip ultrasounds.

Impact of a Nutritional Follow-Up Program on Growth and Development in Premature and High-Risk Infants

By Emily Johnson and Julia Gertie

In 2019, the Division of Neonatology in conjunction with the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the nutrition department, launched a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nutritional follow-up clinic. This study is a retrospective observational study of infants born at or before 32 weeks of gestation and discharged to home from the NICU. The main goals of this research are to assess the interventions provided at the nutrition clinic and to compare growth and developmental outcomes during the first year after discharge of preterm babies who attended the clinic compared to a historical control group of preterm infants who did not have access to these services.