The Department of Pediatrics is extremely excited to announce the appointment of Krithika Lingappan, MBBS, PhD, MS, as the new Section Head of Neonatology. Lingappan brings an exceptional record of academic accomplishment, clinical innovation, program development and mentorship that positions her to advance the longstanding excellence within the section. She will assume her new position effective September 1, 2026.
Lingappan will join the University of Colorado Anschutz from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was recently promoted to tenured professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology.
Lingappan is an internationally recognized expert on sex-specific mechanisms of neonatal lung injury, with continuous NIH funding and multiple active R01s. She has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and received major awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Southern Society for Pediatric Research, and the American Thoracic Society. She has contributed nationally through service on NIH study sections, authorship of guidelines and scientific statements, and leadership roles in pediatric and pulmonary societies. In 2022, she was elected to the American Pediatric Society, reflecting her leadership in the field.
Throughout her career, Lingappan has demonstrated a deep commitment to the training and advancement of learners at all levels. At both Baylor College of Medicine and CHOP, she has mentored postdoctoral fellows, medical students, residents, junior faculty and graduate trainees. She has developed evidence-based medicine curricula, led national and institutional coaching and grant-writing programs, and contributed extensively to fellowship program leadership, scholarly oversight committees and national trainee-focused initiatives. She is also the present chair of the neonatal-perinatal medicine sub-board at the American Board of Pediatrics.
Krithika received her bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) degree in 2002 from Kilpauk Medical College, India. Her pediatric residency training was completed at the University of Chicago in 2009. From 2009 to 2012, she pursued neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship training at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. She joined the faculty at Baylor in 2012, advancing to associate professor and completing the clinical scientist training program (PhD) in 2018. In 2021, she was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital Philadelphia.
Lingappan brings a strong foundation in clinical leadership, having contributed to major institutional initiatives in neonatal clinical operations, quality improvement and program development. Her leadership experience includes developing clinical pathways, leading multidisciplinary care programs for complex neonatal populations, implementing practice guidelines and collaborating across NICUs and perinatal networks.
In her vision for the section, Lingappan outlines a comprehensive and strategically aligned plan that reinforces neonatology’s role as a national leader in clinical excellence, research innovation and academic training.
Finally, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Randy Wilkening, MD, for his exceptional 33 years of leadership as the section head of neonatology. His vision and expertise have profoundly shaped our program, and we are fortunate to have benefited from his legacy. We wish him all the best in his next chapter.
Please join us in congratulating and supporting Krithika Lingappan as she embarks on her new journey.