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Meet Amy Brown Schlegel, MD, Section Chief of Neonatology

Meet Amy Brown Schlegel, MD, Section Chief of Neonatology 1024 603 Pam Georgiana

After over a decade in Neonatology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Dr. Schlegel has been appointed section chief of Neonatology. We recently sat down to talk with Dr. Schlegel about her time at Nationwide Children’s and her plans for leading the next phase of growth in Neonatal care.

Amy Brown Schlegel, MD, practices Neonatology in the Newborn Intensive Care Units (NICU) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Nationwide Children’s NICU at The Ohio State University Medical Center. She has served as Associate Division Chief for Neonatology, the medical director of the Level IV NICU, and the director of the Perinatal Palliative Care Program within the Fetal Center at Nationwide Children’s. Dr. Schlegel is also an associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Q: How long have you been with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and what brought you here?

I joined the Nationwide Children’s Division of Neonatology in August 2012. I had just finished my fellowship in Pittsburgh, and I wanted to find a faculty position at a large freestanding children’s hospital in the Midwest. I was drawn to Nationwide Children’s immediately. I recognized that this is a place where people eagerly collaborated to provide the best care possible for all patients. The One Team language spoke to me.

Q: Why did you choose Neonatology?

As I pediatric resident, I became fascinated with both the fragility and resilience of babies in the NICU. Every favorable outcome was such a celebration for the family. I wanted to help make more babies better, and Nationwide Children’s had tremendous potential to help me devise and learn even better ways to do that.

Q: What is the Perinatal Palliative Care Program?

While working in the Fetal Center at Nationwide Children’s, I became very interested in how we communicate with families who are experiencing complicated pregnancies. We developed the Perinatal Palliative Care Program to better meet the needs of families facing the most complex or life-limiting fetal conditions. We work with them before, during and after birth, providing support, counseling, care coordination and expert collaboration. I’m proud that Nationwide Children’s is at the forefront of providing this kind of multidisciplinary care.

Q: What is something you have learned during your time at Nationwide Children’s?

I have learned that excellent outcomes require excellent teams. It is important for me to understand, nurture and capitalize on the strengths of every individual on my team so that we are better together. As section chief, I plan to continue to lead our teams with that vision.

I am proud of what our Neonatology team accomplishes every day for patients, their families, and the hospital. The work can be hard and sometimes emotionally challenging, but our team members do it with compassion, curiosity, intelligence and passion.

Q: What has been your favorite program, project or initiative you worked on during your time at Nationwide Children’s?

I am very proud of the time that I have served as the medical director of our Level IV NICU. As the complexity of our patients’ diagnoses continues to rise, the unit has kept up with the high volume and higher acuity and never faltered on the level of care provided.

Q: What are your top three priorities for the future of Neonatology at Nationwide Children’s?

My priorities include fostering development and growth programs to care for our sickest and most unique patients. As our Neonatal Network looks ahead to new physical spaces in the coming years, we have the opportunity to be thoughtful about how we provide care within new or expanded units—both on our Main Campus as well as in Nationwide Children’s NICUs at delivery hospitals across the city.

I also look forward to collaborating with the Fetal Center to plan for growth of maternal and infant care here at Nationwide Children’s. Finally, I hope to continue to energize our Neonatology teams to ask questions such as “How can we improve survival for babies with congenital anomalies and other fetal conditions?” and “How can we improve outcomes for the most premature infants?” Through collaboration with the Center for Perinatal Research within the Abigail Wexner Research Institute, our teams can continue to bring research to the bedside to find new ways to improve complex perinatal and neonatal outcomes.

Q: If there is one thing you could tell a future NICU employee of Nationwide Children’s, what would it be?

A career in Neonatology is truly rewarding. There are days that may be scary or sad, but the joy and reward you experience when you change the life trajectory of a child is life-changing. Providing this level of care within a strong team means that we get to learn from each other and work together to change outcomes for the better.

I’m so proud to do this work and excited to be in this leadership position to continue to make Nationwide Children’s better.

About the author

Pam Georgiana is a brand marketing professional and writer located in Bexley, Ohio. She believes that words bind us together as humans and that the best stories remind us of our humanity. She specialized in telling engaging stories for healthcare, B2B services, and nonprofits using classic storytelling techniques. Pam has earned an MBA in Marketing from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

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