Ogechukwu Menkiti, MD

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Get to know Neonatologist Dr. Ogechukwu Menkiti, who serves patients in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

An attending neonatologist and perinatologist, Dr. Menkiti is the NICU Medical Director, Medical Director of ECMO Program, President-Elect of the Medical Staff, and Co-Director of Simulation at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

As such, he specializes in treating neonates with respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, and combined cardiopulmonary failure. He is also passionate about extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and its use in pediatric populations.

A leader in pediatric care since 1875, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children’s nationally recognized programs and pediatric specialists provide exceptional care to children from throughout the Greater Philadelphia area and around the world. The mission of the hospital is to provide quality pediatric services in a caring, progressive environment. 

In collaboration with Tower Health, Dr. Menkiti is affiliated with Reading Hospital and Phoenixville Hospital.

Alongside his clinical role, he serves as an Associate Professor within the Department of Pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine. He is responsible for the education of medical students, residents and fellows, particularly simulation-based education to prepare post-match fourth-year medical students preparing for pediatrics residency, and improved communication and code readiness for pediatrics residents and neonatology fellows.

To smooth the transition from residency for incoming neonatology fellows, Dr. Menkiti designed and implemented the Road to Neonatology program. He streamlined and standardized the process of teaching extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for residents, fellows, and new attendings. As part of St. Chris’s Simulation Outreach Program, he is responsible for delivering interdisciplinary simulation-based education for NICU teams to assess competencies, identify knowledge gaps, and improve teamwork.

In 1998, Dr. Menkiti graduated with his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from the School of Medicine at the University of Nigeria. He then went on to perform a rotating housemanship in medicine and surgery at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in 1999, and an internship in pediatrics at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in 2005. This was followed by a residency in pediatrics at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in 2007, and his fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2010.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the doctor is board-certified in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine and pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The ABP exists to promote excellence in medical care for children and adolescents. Certification represents dedication by pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists, and pediatric trainees to the highest level of professionalism in patient care.

Solving most health problems of newborns, Dr. Menkiti’s areas of research interest include: pharmokinetics of commonly used antibiotics in newborns with moderate to severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy undergoing controlled hypothermia; and assessing the safety and efficacy of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) when combined with controlled hypothermia in neonates with moderate to severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

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 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. 

Among Dr. Menkiti’s various awards and honors include: Oksana Korzeniowski Patient Care Award (2020), St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children; Seeds Award, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, for exemplary communication with referring physicians (2017); Eastern Society for Pediatric Research Travel Award (2010); PAS Young Investigator’s Travel Award (2009); Resident of the Year Award for Best Bedside Manner, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center (2007); Resident of the Year Award for Best Nurse/MD Collaboration, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center (2007); and Residents Teaching Award, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, for medical student education (2004).

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