Meet Our NICU Team
Our unit is covered 24 hours a day by a team of professionals. We believe that parents play an equally important role in the health and well-being of new babies. Only you can provide the parental love and soothing presence your baby needs, making you an essential part of the team.
Our NICU team includes neonatologists (doctors), nurses, child life specialists, care coordinators, and other professionals.
Neonatologists
The physicians managing the care of your infant in the NICU are neonatologists and hospitalists. A neonatologist is a physician who is specially trained in caring for newborns and infants with medical problems including prematurity, infections and respiratory problems. The neonatologists are:
Elizabeth Carlin, MD
Clinical Neonatologist | Full profile
Loren DeLuca, DO
Clinical Neonatologist | Full profile
Howard Mazin, MD
Chief of Pediatrics and Newborn Medicine; Clinical Neonatologist | Full profile
In addition, physicians specializing in hospital pediatric medicine, called pediatric hospitalists, provide overnight care in the NICU. They communicate and work closely with the on-call neonatologist for any issues.
Our team of physicians strives to give the best possible medical care to your baby, as well as communicate and explain the issues, diagnosis, and treatment with the parents and designated family members. Your baby will be cared for by an extensive medical team of professionals, and the physicians collaborate with other pediatric subspecialists as needed. Parents should feel free to contact the physicians at any time regarding the status, care, and progress of their baby.
The neonatologist will notify your personal pediatrician when your baby is admitted and will provide updates on your baby’s progress and discharge. It is important that you tell the physicians or nurses the name of your baby’s pediatrician so we can coordinate your baby’s care with him or her.
Nursing Team
Englewood Hospital’s nursing team has been recognized by the Magnet Recognition Program® for excellence in nursing since 2002. Our NICU RN team comprises staff nurses and care managers, including certified neonatal nurses. Our team also includes a clinical nurse specialist, who is an advanced practice registered nurse.
Nursing care is overseen by an assistant nurse manager and a director of nursing, who are available to you if you have any concerns about what is happening or feedback about the care of your baby that you and your family would like to share.
Contact the NICU Nursing Leadership
Roseangela DiTaranto, MSN, RNC-MNN
Assistant Nurse Manager, Mother/Baby and NICU
201-608-2329
roseangela.ditaranto@ehmchealth.org
Valerie M. French, MBA, BSN, RNC
Director of Nursing, Maternal/Child Health
201-894-3318
valerie.french@ehmchealth.org
Child Life Services
Child life professionals strive to reduce the negative impact of stressful or traumatic life events for patients and their families.
Like nursing, child life is a human services profession. This service supports and helps children and families during inherently stressful events, by understanding child development and normal development responses to challenge and stress. In the NICU, we strive to enhance coping mechanisms of each individual, whether it is the parent, sibling or another family member. Our goal is to minimize anxiety and to help families continue everyday living as much as possible.
Through education, communication, and therapeutic support, the child life specialist can help parents cope, prepare siblings and other family members for a visit to the NICU, and help your family understand and cope more effectively with the often overwhelming world of the NICU.
Contact the Child Life Specialist
Michelle Brauntuch, MS, CCLS
Child Life Specialist
201-894-3635
michelle.brauntuch@ehmchealth.org
Care Coordination Team
In collaboration with the neonatologist and nursing staff, a designated care coordinator and a social worker coordinate your baby’s care while in the NICU. This Care Coordination team also arranges for support services that may be required upon your baby’s discharge, including home care, equipment and special follow up, if necessary. In addition, the social worker can provide one-on-one support and/or information about available support groups and other resources. The social worker can be reached at 201-894-3342 or by asking the nursing staff to place a request on your behalf.
Other Care Providers
Lactation consultants, speech therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other ancillary and professional staff may be involved in the care of your baby.