Dr. Jean M. Silvestri, MD

Expert Publications

• Idiopathic congenital central hypoventilation syndrome: evaluation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor genomic DNA sequence variation.
• Effect of auditory, tactile, visual, and vestibular intervention on length of stay, alertness, and feeding progression in preterm infants.
• Sudden infant death syndrome: association with a promoter polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene.
• Nighttime child care: inadequate sudden infant death syndrome risk factor knowledge, practice, and policies.
• Effect of a sudden infant death syndrome risk reduction education program on risk factor compliance and information sources in primarily black urban communities.
• Association of the serotonin transporter gene with sudden infant death syndrome: a haplotype analysis.
• Idiopathic congenital central hypoventilation syndrome: analysis of genes pertinent to early autonomic nervous system embryologic development and identification of mutations in PHOX2b.
• Developmental patterns of physiological response to a multisensory intervention in extremely premature and high-risk infants.
• Sudden infant death syndrome: case-control frequency differences at genes pertinent to early autonomic nervous system embryologic development.
• Respiratory care of the patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: ATS consensus statement.
• Cardiorespiratory events detected by home memory monitoring and one-year neurodevelopmental outcome.
• Facial phenotype in children and young adults with PHOX2B-determined congenital central hypoventilation syndrome: quantitative pattern of dysmorphology.
• Premature monozygotic twins with bilateral choanal atresia: a case report.
• Characterization of dermatoglyphics in PHOX2B-confirmed congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.
• Autonomic nervous system dysregulation: breathing and heart rate perturbation during wakefulness in young girls with Rett syndrome.

Media Releases

Get to know Neonatologist Dr. Jean M. Silvestri, who serves patients in Illinois. Dr. Silvestri is a trusted neonatologist whose areas of clinical focus include high-risk newborns, neonatal care, respiratory control disorders, and sudden infant death syndrome and . Currently, she serves as Chairperson of the Department of Pediatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. She primarily works within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), seeing premature babies and term babies who have difficulty transitioning at the time of birth (those who have low sugar, meconium aspiration or respiratory distress). “We get this stream of families and babies that come back to the unit to visit who’ve been home for some time, and they’re coming to the clinic for their developmental assessment. And I will get a call in my office, “You won’t believe who’s here. Do you want to come up and say hello? They’re asking for you; can you come up and say hello?” And it’s like you walk through the door, and you just squeal because you’re like, “Oh my god, this is what we were waiting for.” And it’s that kind of — that really makes it a great day” expressed Dr. Silvestri. Alongside her clinical role as Rush, she is an attending physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children’s hospital. After earning her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1980, Dr. Silvestri went on to further her training. She performed her residency in pediatrics at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in 1983, followed by her fellowship in neonatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1985. Subsequent to her education, the doctor attained board certification in pediatrics & neonatal-perinatal medicine through the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The mission of the ABP is to advance child health by certifying pediatricians who meet standards of excellence and are committed to continuous learning and improvement. Holding an academic rank, Dr. Silvestri serves as a Professor within the Department of Pediatrics at Rush Medical College. Her areas of research include apnea of prematurity, apparent life-threatening events, SIDS and intervention strategies, and neonatal resuscitation. Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practiced in neonatal intensive care units. A neonatologist is a medical professional who specializes in caring for newborn babies, particularly those who are ill or born prematurely. They may also provide antenatal consultation for women with certain risk factors, such as multiple births.

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