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
Risk factors for food insecurity and association with prenatal care utilization among women who took opioids during pregnancy and unexposed controls. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2025; 25:396.
Racial and ethnic differences in prenatal exposure to environmental phenols and parabens in the ECHO Cohort. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. 2025; 35:992-1002.
Tobacco and cannabis use among pregnant women with prenatal opioid use. Addictive Behaviors. 2025; 170:108442.
Early Intratracheal Budesonide to Reduce Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Extremely Preterm Infants: The Budesonide in Babies (BiB) Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 2025; 334:1452-1462.
Data harmonization framework for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy studies. JAMIA Open. 2025; 8:ooaf086.
Effects of Prenatal Opioid Exposure on the Brain and Neurodevelopment. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2025; 72:805-823.
Histologic Chorioamnionitis and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants. JAMA Network Open. 2025; 8:e2531158.
Associations between a novel measure of sleep health and cognitive functioning in middle childhood: a crosssectional Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes cohort study. Sleep Advances. 2025; 6:zpaf049.
COVID-19 Pandemic Exposure and Toddler Behavioral Health in the ECHO Program. JAMA Network Open. 2025; 8:e2530346.
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
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