Speakers

Barbara Elizabeth Cormack, Jennifer Curtiss, Jae Kim, Stephanie Merlino-Barr, Daniel Robinson

Barbara Elizabeth Cormack, NZRD, MHSc, PhD

Clinical Lead - Paediatric Dietitians
Starship Hospital, Te Whatu Ora
Senior Research Fellow
Liggins Institute, University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand

Dr Barbara Cormack has a PhD in Perinatal Science from the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland. Barbara is a New Zealand paediatric dietitian, Clinical Lead for the team of 20 paediatric dietitians at Starship Hospital and Senior Research Fellow at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand. She specialises in nutrition for preterm babies and is known internationally for her leadership in neonatal nutrition, authoring the Neonatal and Infant Nutrition Handbook (now in its 5th Edition) and being a founding member of the Australasian Neonatal Dietitians’ Network. Her research centres on how nutrition affects the growth, neurodevelopment and the long-term health of preterm babies.

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Jennifer Curtiss, MS, RDN, LD, CLC

Clinical Dietitian
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio

Jennifer Curtiss is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Consultant in the Comprehensive Center for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Jennifer is a neonatal dietitian and specializes in caring for infants with BPD. She has experience in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Jennifer recognizes the value of optimizing nutrition for the chronically ill infant through interdisciplinary team care to improve growth, respiratory, and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Jennifer is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she received both a Bachelor of Science and Master's Degree, as well as completed her Dietetic Internship. Jennifer is a member of the Ohio Neonatal Nutritionist group. She was recognized as Nationwide Children's Hospital Dietitian of the Year in 2023.

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Jae Kim, MD, PhD

Perinatal Institute Co-Director
Division Director of Neonatology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Endowed Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Cincinnati, Ohio

Dr. Jae Kim is Co-Director of the Perinatal Institute, Division Director of Neonatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. His special areas of clinical and research interests include neonatal nutrition, neonatal bowel injury, bedside ultrasound, family centered care and resuscitation. He is the co-founder of the San Diego Mothers’ Milk Bank and the innovative, nationally recognized multidisciplinary program to advance premature infant nutrition called SPIN (Supporting Premature Infant Nutrition). He is the co-author of the book, Best Medicine: Human Milk in the NICU. He is a past member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition.

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Stephanie Merlino-Barr, MS, RDN, LD

Neonatal Dietitian
Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics
MetroHealth Medical Center
Cleveland, Ohio

Stephanie Merlino Barr, MS, RDN, LD is a Neonatal Dietitian in the Department of Pediatrics at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. Stephanie is also a doctoral candidate at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine’s (CWRU SOM) Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences. Her research focuses on early life nutrition interventions and their relationship with growth and body composition outcomes in premature infants. Stephanie is also an Adjunct Instructor at CWRU SOM’s Department of Nutrition, where she teaches a graduate-level course on human lactation. Stephanie is an editor of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Pocket Guide to Neonatal Nutrition 3rd Edition, published in July 2022 and a contributor to the Academy’s online Pediatric Nutrition Care Manual.

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Daniel Robinson, MD MSc

Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology)
Lurie Children’s Hospital
Chicago, IL

Dr. Robinson's clinical and research interests focus on nutrition and growth in critically ill and preterm neonates. His research evaluates outcomes associated with breast milk feedings in preterm infants as well as the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids. His current research evaluates maternal perinatal diet quality as well as effects of maternal nutritional status on both breast milk quality and preterm infant health.

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