Stephanie Bourque MD, MSCS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology and Associate Medical Director, Children’s Hospital Colorado Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, has been appointed the first recipient of the Niermeyer Family Distinguished Professorship in Neonatology.
Dr. Bourque completed her pediatric residency, chief residency and neonatal- perinatal fellowship at CU and Children’s Hospital. Dr. Bourque is a rising leader in neonatal health services research and quality improvement, specifically related to optimizing family engagement in the NICU. She is a current steering committee member and site lead for DEFINE Colorado, a statewide quality improvement collaborative focused on improving family engagement and reducing disparities in engagement by race/ethnicity, primary language, and distance from home to hospital. She has published on sociodemographic factors affecting parental time in the NICU, regionalization of neonatal care, and optimizing discharge processes. She is actively involved at the national level with Children’s Hospital Neonatal Consortium’s work to improve the discharge process for families.
Support made possible by the Niermeyer Family Endowment at the University of Colorado Foundation, in partnership with the Section of Neonatology, will further the work of Dr. Bourque with research and programmatic innovations to integrate families into the NICU, optimize skin-to-skin kangaroo care, and reduce inequities in family engagement.
Susan Niermeyer, Professor Emerita of Pediatrics (Neonatology) observed, “It is an honor to support the work of CU faculty that has the potential to transform the NICU care of newborns and achieve better outcomes for babies and families.”
