Jay H. Dritz, MD

When I was young, I worked as a babysitter and camp counselor. I realized back then that I enjoyed working with children. My decision to become a physician was influenced by my grandfather, an anesthesiologist, and my great uncle, my pediatrician for a time.

I was drawn to neonatology by my interest in newborn resuscitation and how to make a difference in those first few critical minutes of a baby's life. As a neonatologist, I care for babies in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at Cincinnati Children’s. I’ve also taken care of healthy babies and those with special needs at Kettering Health.

In my approach to care, I involve the families and help them understand what is happening with their child. I treat every patient as a unique individual, include them in decision-making, and help guide them through the treatment process. I take time to listen to the parents and provide the best care I can for their child. At the same time, I consider the bigger picture and what I’ve learned from my experiences with other similar patients.

I recognize that I do not always have all the answers and work with a team of colleagues who share their expertise. At Southview Medical Center in Dayton, I’m the medical director of the nursery and chair of the Department of Pediatrics.

My quality improvement work includes participation in the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) project, the Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative and the Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Task Force.

In my free time, I enjoy cooking and baking, especially breads. Our family enjoys traveling, both domestically and internationally. Our children are very adventurous eaters, which helps with travel, and we like to cook and eat good food. I also enjoy running. I ran my first marathon in 2019 and hope to do more.