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
Symptom-Based Dosing for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal: The OPTimize NOW Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 2026; 335(24):2114-2125.
Prenatal Substance Exposure and Birth Weight: Findings From the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study. Pediatrics. 2026; 157(6).
Antenatal Opioid Exposure and Cerebral Cortical Maturation in Newborns. JAMA Network Open. 2026; 9(5):e2614115.
Temporal trends in outcomes for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal managed with the Finnegan scoring tool: Insights from the INFORM NOW Study. Journal of Perinatology. 2026.
Association between medication for opioid use disorder during pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Journal of Perinatology. 2026; 46(4):542-549.
Disrupted Brain Connectivity in Newborns Following Antenatal Opioid Exposure. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. 2026; 11(3):265-278.
Racial and ethnic disparities in environmental chemical exposures and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: The ECHO-wide cohort study. Environmental Pollution. 2026; 392:127452.
Diffuse white matter abnormality is independently predictive of neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2026; 111(2):F115-F122.
Expectant Management vs Medication for Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants: The PDA Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). 2026; 335(7):588-599.
Maternal Area of Residence and Outcomes for Mother-Infant Dyads with Perinatal Opioid Exposure. American Journal of Perinatology. 2026; 43(3):383-395.
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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