Dr. Nitin Chouthai is a consultant neonatologist at Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Corewell health East Dearborn, Professor of Pediatrics at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and Clinical Professor at Wayne State University. He was born and brought up in Pune and completed his medical education and Pediatric residency at BJ Medical College/Sassoon General hospital Pune, India. He also received training in Neonatology in UK where he completed MRCPCH (UK) examinations. Dr. Chouthai has been involved in multiple funded research projects around neonatal intensive care delivery. He has published several scientific manuscripts.

Improvement of outcomes of newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is his professional interest. His training for HIE began as a senior house officer at Queen Charlotte Hospital, London, under supervision of Dr. Denis Azzopardi in 1997. He also continued to work at Hammersmith Hospital and Imperial College School of Medicine. He continued his work during his faculty position as Wayne State University where he participated in care of newborns recruited in several Therapeutic Hypothermia studies conducted by NICHD Neonatal Research Network with Dr. Seetha Shankaran. He also has tirelessly worked in India and Sri Lanka teaching medical providers how to treat newborns with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy with therapeutic hypothermia. He is currently involved in two NIH trials regarding neuromonitoring of newborns with Neonatal Abstinence syndrome using AI powered tools and umbilical cord management of non-vigorous term newborns at birth.

Paediatric Neurologist, Nottingham University, UK.

My experience as a Paediatric Neurologist pans both UK and India working in both resource limited and resource rich settings. I have taken various Teaching & Management roles both in UK and India. My main strength is the adaptability to various clinical environments and the ability to apply clinical skills to benefit local families.

Consultant Paediatric Neurologist, Nottingham University Hospitals, UK

I joined as a Locum at the Queen's Medical Centre from April 2023. PICU is 8-bedded, and the neurology, neurosurgery and spine ward is 20-bedded. Outreach clinics are done at Lincoln, Derby and Mansfield.

Forming a new team, we brought down the waiting times from 16 months to 4 months. Weekly Consultant meetings with discussions on challenging clinical scenarios and recording them for legal reasons are being followed. We have monthly Neuropsychological conferences where we get to discuss and learn about the various presentations with neurological symptoms. I started advising the fetal medicine team and seeing pregnant ladies on short notice, and giving them appropriate advice on what to expect. There are multiple multidisciplinary meetings involving therapists, Nurses, pharmacists and other specialities. I also teach medical students, paediatric colleagues, and trainees.

Dr Anay Kulkarni is Consultant Neonatologist at St. George’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Cardiology at Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. He is executive committee member of NEOFOCUS group a special interest group with British Association Perinatology and leads Guidelines and Framework group.

After completing undergraduate and structured Postgraduate Paediatric training at Mumbai University, India, he gained further training in Neonatology and Paediatric Cardiology in London. Dr Kulkarni was awarded European Certification in Congenital Heart Disease Echocardiography, by the European Association of Cardiovascular imaging (EACVI) in 2016 and continues to be accredited with EACVI. He is an expert and teacher in Neonatal echocardiography and has performed over 3000 neonatal echocardiography assessments. He leads the Neonatal Cardiology Service at St. George’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

His research interest in neonatology includes neonatal cardiology comprising of hemodynamic assessment, evaluation of Patent Ductus Arteriosus, Pulmonary Hypertension and Functional Echocardiography and have published work in high impact peer reviewed journals. He is involved in developing the Point Of Care Ultrasonography (POCUS) Programme at St. George’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He directs “Echocardiography for Neonatologist” courses based at St. George’s Hospital and is a faculty member for “Neonatal Echocardiography &Haemodynamics Course” held in Brighton.

Anne Marie is a dedicated and highly skilled nursing professional with over 25 years of diverse experience in both clinical and specialist roles. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1997 from the Philippines, and went on to obtain valuable hands-on experience working in the Neonatal Unit at Chong Hua Hospital Cebu. In 2000, Anne Marie moved to the United Kingdom and joined the Level 3 surgical unit at St. George’s Hospital in London, one of the country’s leading healthcare institutions

Her passion for advancing her practice led Anne Marie to achieve qualification in advanced critical practice in 2007, a milestone that enabled her to take on expanded responsibilities within the medical rota. For a decade, from 2007 to 2017, she contributed to multidisciplinary medical teams, managing critically ill patients and supporting acute medical interventions, thereby enhancing patient safety and outcomes.

In 2018, Anne Marie embraced a new professional challenge by transitioning to the role of Surgical Nurse Specialist with a special interest in skin assessment and wound management. In this capacity, she combines her extensive clinical experience with specialized knowledge to lead wound care initiatives, optimize patient recovery, and reduce complications associated with surgical wounds and procedures. Her work in this field underscores her dedication to patient-centred care and continuous professional development.

Ashley Dean is a neonatal and paediatric Speech and Language Therapist with over a decade of experience across New Zealand, England, and India. Currently serving as Clinical Lead for Paediatrics & Neonates at Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau, Ashley brings a unique blend of compassionate leadership, advanced clinical skill in infant feeding and dysphagia, and a commitment to health equity. Her work includes capacity building initiatives in low resourced settings, international faculty roles, and training development for multidisciplinary teams. Alongside her clinical work, Ashley is completing a Master’s in Health Service Management and Leadership with a focus on improving outcomes in low resourced health systems. She holds a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy from Massey University, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Lactation, and serves as a regional representative for the New Zealand Speech-Language Therapists’ Association.

Dr Sandeep Shetty is a Consultant Neonatologist (since 2016) at St George’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (SGH). He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at St George’s University of London (since 2019), Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London (since 2024), and Guest Lecturer at Kingston University (2017–25). He is an RCPCH College Tutor (2025), a panel member for the Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) for Specialist Trainees (since 2017), and a member of the RCPCH Advisory Appointment Committee (AAC) (since 2023). Dr Shetty was appointed Neonatal Transformation Lead for Southwest London Maternity and Neonatal Services (SWLMNS) in 2023. In 2024, Dr Shetty was appointed to the Maquet Critical Care Advisory Board to advise on neonatal ventilation and technology integration.

Dr Shetty has a strong academic and clinical background in neonatal respiratory care, with an MDRes from King’s College London under Professor Greenough. He has around 65 research outputs (35 peer-reviewed papers, 30 abstracts, 20 international presentations) and is a reviewer for peer-reviewed journals including Pediatrics, Archives of Disease in Childhood, European Journal of Paediatrics, and Acta Paediatrica. He has been Principal Investigator (PI) for NIHR multicentre trials AZTEC (2021) and SURFON (2022) and has led national and local initiatives at SGH.

In 2019, Dr Shetty’s leadership as Neonatal Respiratory Service Lead at St George’s Hospital led to the introduction of Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) at SGH—the first UK neonatal unit to adopt it in clinical practice.

With a special focus on neonatal ventilation and optimisation, Dr Shetty continues to lead the neonatal respiratory service at SGH. His research interests centre on novel respiratory support methods, particularly NAVA. He has contributed extensively to peer-reviewed literature and remains active in both clinical innovation and academic scholarship.

Dr Shetty is an invited speaker at national and international conferences, including BAPM (2022), Frankfurt Ventilation Summit (2022 and 2023), Italian Neonatal Congress (2023), Dubai NAVA Summit (2024), and the National Specialist Trainee Study Day (2025). He is an active member of both BAPM and the Neonatal Society. Passionate about teaching, he is involved in a variety of neonatal ventilation courses. He directs the ‘Neonatal Crash Course’ and the ‘Advanced Cardiorespiratory Course’ at St George's Hospital (since 2023), which have gained national recognition in education.

You can explore more about his work and publications via his ResearchGate profile.

Sarah qualified as a nurse in 1984 finding her passion for neonatal intensive care in 1988 and to date has 37 years of neonatal experience. Qualifying as a pioneering Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in 1993, she has worked in a tertiary intensive care unit providing a high standard of care on a medical rota, while supporting families and colleagues on their journey through Neonatal Medicine. Latterly she worked alongside the Paediatric surgical team providing antenatal counseling for anomalies, with a strong interest in wound management and skin preservation.

Dr. Sijo Francis is a Consultant Neonatologist and Divisional Chair for Children's, Women's, Diagnostics, and Therapies at St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London. He joined St George's in 2012 as a consultant neonatologist and honorary senior lecturer.

He has held significant leadership roles, including Clinical Director for Children's Services from 2019 to 2023, and Clinical Lead for Newborn Services from 2015 to 2018.

Dr. Francis has a strong interest in utilizing new technology for safer care, having designed new resuscitation trolleys, implemented a new neonatal early warning sepsis pathway, and secured funding for a video laryngoscopy system, making St George's one of the first units in the UK to use it as standard care.

He is actively involved in teaching and training, co-directing the only simulation-based neonatal ethics course in the UK and serving as an education supervisor for the London School of Paediatrics. He has also chaired serious incident review panels, including those involving child death and never events.

Before his current roles, Dr. Francis completed his medical degree in South Africa in 2000 and achieved his FRCPCH in 2011. He has published research articles on topics such as MRSA colonization in newborns and infection control in neonatal units.

I qualified in South Africa and after a year in a rural missionary hospital gaining my registration, I then moved over to the UK. With a keen interest in paediatric dietetics, I have built up over 10 years of experience across specialities in the acute setting (NHS), public health and primary care settings.

In 2021 I chose to specialise in neonatal dietetic care within a large level 3 surgical neonatal unit in London. My current position being clinical lead dietitian in neonates at St Georges Hospital as well as network lead for Southwest London units.

I am also a member of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), Neonatal Specialist Sub-Group (NDiG) working collaboratively with neonatal dietitians across the country (UK & Ireland). I also sit within specialist groups within London, such as the London Surgical Neonatal Dietitians group.

Neonates being an area I have a very special interest in to advocate for our most vulnerable population. Making sure we get nutrition right, from the start.

Dr. Anbu Chakkarapani has been an esteemed Attending Physician at Sidra Medicine since November 2017 and concurrently holds an Assistant Professorship in Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar. With a foundational postgraduate degree in pediatrics from India, Dr. Chakkarapani further honed his expertise in Canada through fellowships in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at McMaster University and the University of Toronto.

At Sidra Medicine, he has been instrumental in founding a cutting-edge Neonatal Hemodynamic Program and pioneering innovative practices in Neonatal Cardiac Critical Care. His notable achievements include the formation of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Clinical Guidelines Committee.

Presently, Dr. Chakkarapani spearheads the NICU Clinical Translational Research and the Neonatal Neuro-Critical Care programs, actively securing research grants as both Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator. He is recognized for his exceptional leadership in mentoring medical staff across various levels in the NICU, enhancing the caliber of care and education within the institution.

Paediatric Interventional Cardiology, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS Trust, UK

Dr. Arul Narayanan is an alumnus of ICH, Chennai. He further had his Paediatric, Paediatric Intensive Care and Paediatric Cardiology training in UK.

Dr. Arul Narayanan is a skilled paediatric interventional cardiologist with extensive experience in diagnosing and treating congenital and acquired heart diseases in children, specialising in catheter-based interventions. He has keen interest in ductal closure in extreme preterm babies including babies weighing 750 grams. He is instrumental in setting up an extreme premature PDA device closure program in his centre. Dr. Arul Narayanan works closely with neonatal and paediatric intensive care units to manage critically ill infants with heart conditions.

He has over 15 years of experience in leading tertiary care hospitals and cardiac centres, with a focus on minimally invasive cardiac procedures in newborns, infants and children.