Robin H. Steinhorn MD

Dr. Steinhorn, a specialist in neonatal-perinatal medicine and an expert in the area of extracorporeal life support (ECMO), is the chair of the Department of Pediatrics. Previous to coming to UC Davis, she was the Chief of the Division of Neonatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Vice Chair of Pediatrics, and held the Raymond and Hazel Speck Berry endowed chair in Pediatrics.

The major focus of Dr. Steinhorn’s academic interest has been the study of newborn vascular biology. She spent her fellowship and early faculty years studying ECMO in newborn infants when ECMO was innovative, heroic therapy. To better target the specific vascular pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension, Dr. Steinhorn learned techniques to investigate basic mechanisms regulating vascular tone and has gone on to apply this knowledge to better understand the normal development of the perinatal pulmonary circulation, and to determine specific abnormalities that result in neonatal and pediatric pulmonary hypertension.

Her interest in vascular biology remains firmly rooted in the high clinical morbidity and mortality associated with neonatal respiratory failure and one of her major goals for her research program has been to build a robust clinical research program to complement the basic work underway in the laboratory. Recently Dr. Steinhorn has served as the lead investigator for a Phase I/II trial of intravenous sildenafil for the treatment of PPHN.