Faris N. Al Gharaibeh, MD

The moment I started my clinical rotations in medical school, I knew I wanted to be a pediatrician. I always enjoyed being around children, and once I completed my neonatology rotation during my pediatrics residency, it was clear to me that my place was in the neonatal intensive care unit.

I am privileged to take care of the most vulnerable babies. I enjoy forming strong bonds with their families and knowing that I have a lifelong impact on their health and well-being.

My research interests currently focus on neonatal sepsis and the host immune response. I became interested in this area during my residency, where I worked under the mentorship of Steven McElroy, MD. Our study of an animal model provided my entry into the investigation of the host response in neonatal sepsis.

Currently, I am working with Dr. Hector Wong and Dr. Matthew Alder from the Critical Care Division at Cincinnati Children’s on investigating tools that can be used in identifying infants at higher risk of having more severe illness at the time of initial evaluation. This is a crucial step to drive down the mortality rate by enrichment of clinical trials and identifying babies who could benefit from alternative therapies.