Stephanie L. Merhar, MD, MS
- Attending Neonatologist, Perinatal Institute, Neonatology and Pulmonary Biology
- Research Director, NICU Follow Up Clinic
- Principal Investigator, Cincinnati site, NICHD Neonatal Research Network
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- stephanie.merhar@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
Since I was 12 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a pediatrician. What could be better than being a doctor who gets to work with kids? During my pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s, I was drawn to neonatology because it offered me the opportunity to care for acutely ill babies and build long-term relationships with families through the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) follow-up clinic.
As a neonatologist who cares for sick and preterm babies, I have a special interest in babies with brain injury and those exposed to substances such as opioids.
In my practice, I listen carefully to families. I know that I don't have all of the answers and that parents know their child best. In the NICU and our follow-up clinic, we collaborate with families and other care providers, such as neurologists, pulmonologists, therapists, nutritionists and nurses.
The research I do focuses on how the newborn brain can bounce back from insults including brain injury and substance exposure. I am also interested in using MRI as a tool to predict and improve the outcomes of term and preterm babies with brain injury. I am honored every time someone is interested in the research my team is doing.
MD: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2005.
Residency: Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2005-2008.
Fellowship: Neonatology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2008-2011.
Certification: Pediatrics, 2008; Neonatal / Perinatal Medicine, 2011.
Interests
Infants with perinatal brain injury; neonatal follow up.
Services and Specialties
Interests
Follow-up outcomes; advanced neuroimaging to predict outcomes in infants with brain injury and prenatal substance exposure
Research Areas
Additional Languages
French
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Prenatal Opioid Exposure Is Associated with Punctate White Matter Lesions in Term Newborns. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2025; 284:114669.
Association Between Prenatal Antibiotic Exposure and Infant Wheeze Outcomes. Acta Paediatrica: promoting child health. 2025; 114:1877-1884.
Disparities in the association of ambient air pollution with childhood asthma incidence in the ECHO consortium: A US-wide multi-cohort study. Environmental Epidemiology. 2025; 9:e398.
Darbepoetin, Red Cell Mass, and Neuroprotection in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA pediatrics. 2025; 179:836-845.
Experiences of healthcare discrimination and treatment outcomes among pregnant and postpartum people with opioid use disorder. JOURNAL OF SUBSTANCE USE & ADDICTION TREATMENT. 2025; 174:209707.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Fetuses With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Prenatal Diagnosis. 2025; 45:1045-1052.
Residing in a low-income-low-food-access neighbourhood and asthma in early and middle childhood in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program: a multisite cohort study. BMJ Open. 2025; 15:e094317.
Extended Caffeine for Apnea in Moderately Preterm Infants: The MoCHA Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 2025; 333:2154-2163.
Public Water Arsenic and Birth Outcomes in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort. JAMA Network Open. 2025; 8:e2514084.
Antenatal Opioid Exposure and Global and Regional Brain Volumes in Newborns. JAMA pediatrics. 2025; 179:639-646.
From the Blog
Newborn Brains Are Smaller When Exposed to Opioids During Gestation
Stephanie L. Merhar, MD, MS4/10/2025
‘Eat, Sleep, Console’ Approach Slashes ICU Stays for Opioid-Exposed Newborns
Stephanie L. Merhar, MD, MS5/1/2023
3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
© 1999-2025 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. All rights reserved.
Patient Ratings and Comments
All patient satisfaction ratings and comments are submitted by actual patients and verified by a leading independent experience management company, Qualtrics. Patient identities are withheld to ensure confidentiality and privacy. Only those providers whose satisfaction surveys are administered through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center are displayed. Click here to learn more about our survey