Neonatology

Meet Your NICU Team

Seattle Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Our NICU team has special training to care for critically ill newborns. We respect families as key members of your child’s healthcare team. We will work with you to make decisions and treatment plans for your baby.

The care team in Seattle Children’s NICU includes:

Neonatologists (doctors specializing in newborn care)
Neonatal and
Nurses
Lactation Services

Read about the different roles on your child’s healthcare team.

The NICU team works closely with other Seattle Children’s specialists to coordinate care for newborns with complex problems. Depending on your baby’s needs, they may receive care from pediatric surgeons, , , heart surgeons, , , , , and .

Leadership

Taylor Lee Sawyer, DO, MBA, MEd

Division Head, Neonatology
Zeenia Cyrus Billimoria, MD

Medical Director, Seattle Children's NICU; NICU Transport Lead
Sarah J Handley, MD

Associate Medical Director, Seattle Children’s NICU; Co-Director, Seattle Children’s BPD Program; ECMO Lead, Seattle Children’s NICU
Mihai Puia-Dumitrescu, MD, MPH

Associate Medical Director, Seattle Children’s NICU; Co-Director, Seattle Children’s CDH Program; Director of Clinical Research, Division of Neonatology
Elizabeth Noelle Jacobson, MD

Director of Quality, Neonatology Regional Network Site Sponsor, Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium
Tarisai Zivira, MBA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC

NICU Director
Karen Kelly, ARNP, ACCNS-N

Clinical Nurse Specialist
Karen Cunningham, RN, BSN, RNC-NIC

NICU Clinical Practice Manager
Lori George, MN, RN, RNC-NIC

NICU Clinical Practice Manager
Erin Peters, RN, BSN, NEA-BC

NICU Clinical Practice Manager
Barbara Winters, DNP, RN, RNC-NIC

Transition in Practice Manager
Sarah Gabrielle Reilly, ARNP, MSN, NNP-BC

Neonatal APP Supervisor
April Lynn Morris, ARNP

Associate Chief of APP Practice, Neonatal and Support Services
Rachel Amie Umoren, MD, MS

Associate Division Head, Research
Megan Mariner Gray, MD

Associate Division Head, Education
Kendell Riley German, MD

Associate Fellowship Director

Team

Jump to Role:

Neonatologists in Seattle Children’s NICU

Critical Care Transport

Our Critical Care Transport program partners with Airlift Northwest to provide the specialized care needed to safely transport critically ill infants by ground or air. We transport more than 600 newborn patients each year. A NICU nurse and a respiratory therapist always ride along with the newborn on critical care transports. This team is in frequent contact with a neonatologist throughout the transport process to ensure the highest quality of patient care. The leaders of the Critical Care Transport program who specialize in transporting newborns and infants are:

Jamie August, MSN, RN, NREMT, C-NPT
Chris Baker, MSN, MBA, RN, C-NPT
Zeenia Cyrus Billimoria, MD
Jessica J Wall, MD, MPH, MSCE, NRP, FACEP, FAAP

Research to improve patient care and outcomes

Our faculty hold national leadership and research roles that strengthen our patient care and outcomes.

Neonatal Advance Practice Providers (APPs)

Seattle Children’s neonatal APPs include advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) and physician assistants (PAs) who have specialty training for complex care of newborns. Neonatal APPs diagnosis and treat babies and provide medications while also supporting families during critical moments. They partner with neonatologists to give your child compassionate, comprehensive care.