Patient Care

Neonatologists are pediatricians with special expertise in caring for sick or premature infants. Our neonatologists are world leaders in caring for babies requiring intensive care after birth. The UCSF Division of Neonatology was founded around creation of the William H. Tooley Intensive Care Nursery in 1964. It was founded in collaboration with the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI). Over the past 50 years UCSF has developed many benchmarks in Neonatal research and care. See the UCSF Neonatology History of Firsts.

Neuro-Intensive Care Nursery

Birth-related neurological injury is the leading cause of mental retardation and cerebral palsy in the United States. The UCSF Neuro-Intensive Care Nursery offers a new standard of care for patients and addresses concerns of families confronted with the possibility of neurological injury in their newborn. Our goal is to create the most comprehensive possible assessment and treatment program in the United States.

Neonatal Follow-Up Care

The Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) Follow-Up Program assesses the neurodevelopmental progress of infants discharged from the Intensive Care Nursery. Infants who are followed for growth and development include those weighing less than 1500 grams at birth, infants requiring ECMO treatment, infants receiving fetal surgical intervention and other at-risk infants.

Fetal Treatment

The Division of Neonatology at UCSF is closely affiliated with the Fetal Treatment Center, which provides expertise before birth for fetuses with birth defects.