Dr. Erin Clifford Stepka, MD

Expert Publications

• Standard methods based on last menstrual period dates misclassify and overestimate US preterm births.

Media Releases

Get to know Neonatologist Dr. Erin Clifford Stepka, who serves patients in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In practice since 2006, Dr. Stepka is a well-versed neonatologist whose clinical interests include late preterm infant, prevention of NEC in the ELBW, and prevention of IVH in the ELBW infant. She serves as the Neonatal Program Development and Clinical Services Medical Director at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As one of the largest neonatal programs in the country, the neonatal program at Children’s Minnesota provides everything from consults to air and ground transport for babies in need. Caring for more than 2,500 newborns each year, Children’s Minnesota has the largest high-risk neonatal referral center in the Upper Midwest.

Alongside her clinical role, Dr. Stepka is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She is also affiliated with M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center and M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital.

Following the completion of her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1999, Dr. Stepka decided to further her training. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Akron Children’s Hospital in 2001, followed by her fellowship in neonatology at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in 2004.

Recognized as a 2020 Top Doctor in Mpls. St. Paul Magazine, she is board-certified in neonatal-perinatal medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The ABP exists to support and encourage the best possible health care for children by setting standards for medical training, assessing levels of competence, and encouraging pediatricians to stay up to date with medical knowledge and best practices.

Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill, or premature newborns. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practiced in neonatal intensive care units. Neonatologists generally diagnose and treat newborns with conditions such as breathing disorders, infections, and birth defects, as well as coordinating care and medically managing newborns born prematurely, critically ill, or in need of surgery. 

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