Rachael Beckert, MD, RD
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow

Education:
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, BS, 2004-2007
University of California, San Francisco, CA, RD, 2007-2008
Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, MD, 2009-2013

Residencies:
University of California, San Francisco, Pediatrics Internship, 2013-2014
University of California, San Francisco, Pediatrics Residency, 2014-2016

Fellowships:
University of California, San Francisco, Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 2016-Present

Previous Professional Positions:
Registered Dietitian – University of California, San Francisco, CA, 2008-2009

Board Certification:
American Board of Pediatrics (2016)

Research Interests:
Neonatal growth and nutrition
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Long term outcomes in NICU graduates
Quality Improvement

Research mentors:
Elizabeth Rogers, MD, Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital, Department of Neonatology
Laura Jelliffe, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco
Sue Rhee, MD, Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital

Program Affiliations:
Preterm Birth Initiative

Biography:
Dr. Rachael Beckert is a clinical fellow in he Division of Neonatology at UCSF. She received her undergraduate degree in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She then completed a year long dietetic internship at UCSF before receiving her RD degree, then worked as a Registered Dietitian for a year. She then earned her MD at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She subsequently completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at UCSF. During her residency she studied nutritional factors related to neonatal growth in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. She is now a fellow in neonatal-perinatal medicine at UCSF.
Dr. Beckert’s current research focuses on the growth and development of vulnerable populations of infants. Her work during residency focused on infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and she has now shifted her focus to maternal anemia during pregnancy in relation to maternal and neonatal outcomes. She hopes this information will help guide care for these patients, and also facilitate further conversations regarding outcomes.
Dr. Beckert is also very involved in the Neonatology Unit Based Leadership Team, which focuses on quality improvement and patient safety in the unit. She is currently leading a QI project to improve parent communication around the time of infant delivery.

Publications:
Pak S, Holland N, Garnett EA, Mileti E, Mahadevan U, Beckert R, Kanwar B, Heyman MB. Cytokine Profiles in Peripheral Blood of Children and Adults with Crohn Disease: A Pilot Study. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, 54(6): 769–75, 2012.