Newborn getting heart screening in hospital

Neonatal Research Institute

Your baby deserves the very best start in life. At the Neonatal Research Institute (NRI), we work tirelessly to improve the health of newborns by discovering new, leading-edge treatments and practices.

Improving the health of babies for generations to come

At the Sharp Mary Birch Neonatal Research Institute, we have a unique opportunity to create a strong research infrastructure that will yield meaningful breakthroughs.

Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns and Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Women & Newborns received $2.3 million in funding from a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement. Learn more about this distinction.

Clinical trials

The Neonatal Research Institute was established to identify and disseminate the latest evidence-based best practices for newborn care. At Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, the busiest maternity hospital in California, we have a unique opportunity to research new, leading-edge treatments and practices.

Learn more about our clinical trials.

Meet the team

The Neonatal Research Institute at Sharp is made up of a caring, dedicated research staff whose shared mission is to give fragile newborns the very best start in life.

Parent Advisory Board

The Neonatal Research Institute Parent Advisory Board (NRI-PAB) consists of parents or grandparents of infants who have been in an intensive care unit. Their unique point of view as a parent of a NICU baby helps us make a difference in shaping the future of NICU care.

The first of its kind, this Advisory Board consists of parents who provide feedback on our proposed and current clinical trials to help ensure that other parents will understand them and be comfortable participating in them.

In addition, one or two members of the NRI-PAB may participate on the ethics review panel (otherwise known at the Institutional Review Board) when a new trial involving babies is presented and may be involved in the decision to either approve, change or not approve a trial.

Research developments and published studies

Learn more about the research we conduct at Sharp Mary Birch by reading research developments and published studies.

Find out more

For more information about the NRI or to find out more about our clinical trials, send us an email or call 858-939-4112.

We also offer an on-site training program for neonatologists, which covers both theoretical and practical ultrasound techniques.

Sharp Mary Birch Neonatal Research Institute

When Heidi went into labor at just 23 weeks of pregnancy, she was rushed to Sharp Mary Birch. Watch how researchers intervened to change the outcome.

Support the NRI

The research we conduct at Sharp Mary Birch holds the potential to transform medical practice and improve outcomes for newborns in San Diego and beyond.