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.

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, published studies and presentations below.

Learn about our recent research developments at the Neonatal Research Institute (NRI):

The Thrasher Research Fund approved a grant in support of the NRI's NIH-funded PREMOD2 study. The $531,788 grant will be used over three years to support the follow-up efforts of the NRI and its domestic and international partner sites. These efforts will serve babies enrolled in PREMOD2 and ensure their social and cognitive development is on track and they are prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Sharp Mary Birch received a $5 million donation from the Alexander and Eva Nemeth Foundation to help fund two programs that give at-risk infants a healthier start in life
The NRI received a $3.1 million research project grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), making this our fourth grant from this prestigious body
In the spring of 2017 the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, an institute of the NIH, awarded Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns a $2.9 million R01 grant to carry out a multicenter, multinational trial of 1,500 babies to determine if umbilical cord milking is as good as or better than delayed umbilical cord clamping in premature infants.
The Gerber Foundation awarded the NRI $200,000 to conduct the first study to characterize normal brain function of premature infants during the first 72 hours of life. This is an observational study to evaluate brain perfusion and function using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), a monitor that allows us to look at oxygen in the tissue of the brain, and limited EEG monitoring.
The Thrasher Fund awarded the NRI $175,000 to assess neurodevelopmental follow up of infants in the PREMOD trial at two years of age.
The Hartwell Foundation provided funding to conduct a trial in term infants to determine if early placement of EEG electrodes and brain oxygen monitoring will allow for early detection of serious poor outcomes. We are constantly searching for ways in which to decrease long-term problems in premature infants, and this study will increase our understanding of newborns' brain function after birth.
The NIH awarded the NRI a grant of $354,750 to study whether delayed cord clamping can improve long-term brain function for babies needing resuscitation at birth. The study is made possible in part by revolutionary newborn resuscitation beds at Sharp Mary Birch, which allow for delayed cord clamping during newborn resuscitation.
The Little Giraffe Foundation and Tarsadia Foundation awarded neonatal research grants for more than $10,000 in support of a study on the respiratory effects of caffeine administered to preterm babies shortly after birth in order to prevent intubation in the first hours of life.
The NRI was a recipient of a grant, totaling $41,264, from the Will Rogers Institute 2014 Neonatal Ventilator and Pulmonary Grant Program in support of neonatal pulmonary equipment

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. Learn more about our bedside ultrasound program.

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.

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