Neonatal Faculty Member Directory
Dr. Wennberg is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Wennberg’s research focuses on neonatal jaundice and the pathogenesis of bilirubin induced encephalopathy. He is involved in collaborative basic research with the Center for Liver Studies in Trieste, Italy, studying the pathogenesis of kernicterus in congenitally jaundiced rats (the Gunn rat) and is the Principal Investigator of a NIH funded project to study risk factors for bilirubin encephalopathy in babies with severe hyperbilirubinemia in Egypt. The study involves collaboration with investigators from Stanford University and Cairo University, with support from the Institute of Translational Health Sciences and Department of Statistics at the University of Washington. While rarely seen in the United States because of very aggressive intervention, brain damage from jaundice is common in Egypt and developing countries, providing an opportunity to better understand biochemical and clinical factors that predispose jaundiced newborns to injury and improve risk evaluation and intervention strategies. He is also a consultant to the Regional Children’s Hospital in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he helped to develop their neonatal intensive care unit and regional perinatal program for Sverdlovsk Oblast during the past 16 years.
Teaching, Research and Clinical Activities
Dr. Wennberg is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Wennberg’s research focuses on neonatal jaundice and the pathogenesis of bilirubin induced encephalopathy. He is involved in collaborative basic research with the Center for Liver Studies in Trieste, Italy, studying the pathogenesis of kernicterus in congenitally jaundiced rats (the Gunn rat) and is the Principal Investigator of a NIH funded project to study risk factors for bilirubin encephalopathy in babies with severe hyperbilirubinemia in Egypt. The study involves collaboration with investigators from Stanford University and Cairo University, with support from the Institute of Translational Health Sciences and Department of Statistics at the University of Washington. While rarely seen in the United States because of very aggressive intervention, brain damage from jaundice is common in Egypt and developing countries, providing an opportunity to better understand biochemical and clinical factors that predispose jaundiced newborns to injury and improve risk evaluation and intervention strategies. He is also a consultant to the Regional Children’s Hospital in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he helped to develop their neonatal intensive care unit and regional perinatal program for Sverdlovsk Oblast during the past 16 years.