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, Cincinnati, OH, 2008
Fellowship: Neonatology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2011
Certifications: 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
Comparison of prenatal self-report of tobacco use to direct measurement of umbilical cord cotinine. Journal of Perinatology. 2026.
Development of Perinatal Social Determinants of Health Composite Risk Score in Infants Born Preterm. Journal of Pediatrics. 2026; 300:115305.
Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment: Collecting Data Virtually. Clinical Pediatrics. 2026; 65(10):1234-1239.
Neonatal Medical Male Circumcision and Child Autism Diagnosis. JAMA pediatrics. 2026; 180(10):1105-1115.
Relationship between Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Corpus Callosum Microstructure at Term-Equivalent Age, and Neurodevelopment at Age 2 Years in Infants Born Preterm. Journal of Pediatrics. 2026; 300:115309.
Prenatal Water Fluoride Exposure and Children's Behavioral Problems. JAMA Network Open. 2026; 9(9):e2629389.
Prenatal Organophosphate Exposure and Autism-Related Traits in Children. JAMA pediatrics. 2026.
Early-life wheezing and childhood cognition in the ECHO cohort. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2026.
Dietary guidelines adherence and pregnancy exposure to 10 classes of priority chemicals: an observational study in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2026; 124(2):101393.
Not Passing Newborn Hearing Screening and Neurodevelopment at 2 Years in Infants Born Extremely Preterm. Journal of Pediatrics. 2026; 298:115251.
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
In Utero Opioid Exposure Impacts Fetal Brain Size and Development
Stephanie L. Merhar, MD, MS, Usha D. Nagaraj, MD9/28/2022
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