Faris N. Al Gharaibeh, MD

I’m a neonatologist with a passion for caring for critically ill newborns and those born at the limits of viability.

The families in our care trust us with their most precious belongings — their kids — and I feel privileged to be a part of their story. It is an honor to accompany a parent caring for their infant in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). I take that role very seriously, strongly emphasizing clear communication and seeking the best care approach tailored to each family.

As a researcher, I aim to better understand and guide care for infants with neonatal sepsis to reduce mortality and decrease morbidity. Specifically, I’m interested in neonatal immunity and how that plays a role in critical illness, stratification and precision medicine in sepsis. The ultimate goal is to translate this work into clinically useful tools for bedside providers.

Working with Dr. Hector Wong and Dr. Matthew Alder from the Division of Critical Care at Cincinnati Children’s promoted my interest in precision medicine and immunology. During my time in their lab, we investigated tools that identify infants at higher risk of having more severe illness during initial sepsis evaluation. These tools are a crucial step in driving down the mortality rate by enriching clinical trials and identifying babies who could benefit from alternative therapies.