Sarathy continues legacy of enthusiasm and exceptional care as the next medical director of MGfC’s Newborn Nursery

As of May 1, 2022, Leela Sarathy, MD, will serve as the new medical director of Newborn Nursery Services at MassGeneral for Children (MGfC), succeeding Nicole (Nikki) Randazzo-Ahern, MD, who has served in that role since November 2016.

“I’m thrilled to be joining such a dedicated and accomplished team of newborn providers,” said Sarathy. “I’m also looking forward to collaborating with our many community affiliates to continue to provide excellent, family-centered care throughout our network.”

Sarathy, who joined MGfC in June 2018, is a leader in the area of complex newborn care. Her most recent academic and clinical work focuses on perinatal substance exposure (with a specific focus on perinatal cannabis use) and providing more equitable, trauma-informed care to parents and newborns affected by substance use disorder. She is actively involved with the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts and participates in perinatal substance use research and advocacy at MGfC. She is also accredited as Qualified Bilingual Staff at MGfC in which she is fluent in English and Spanish.

Until 2018, Sarathy served as an attending physician at Tuft’s Children’s Hospital and Lawrence General Hospital before she was recruited to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center (SEMC) as medical director of the Newborn Nursery.

“Leela built the first newborn hospitalist program at SEMC, which has proven to be a great success. Her leadership skills quickly extended beyond SEMC as she developed policies for the 19 Steward Health Care birthing hospitals on topics such as early-onset sepsis, neonatal hypoglycemia, COVID-19-related newborn care and care of newborns who have been exposed to substance use,” said Paul Lerou, MD, chief of Neonatology and Newborn Medicine at MGfC.

Sarathy’s new role builds on a foundation of excellence laid by Randazzo-Ahern in 2017. “Since 2017, Nikki has been a steadfast partner in growing our newborn hospitalist service and integrating clinical care for all our babies and their families in Labor and Delivery, the Newborn Nursery, the Special Care Nursery and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,” said Lerou. “Her colleagues and the babies and families she cared for have benefitted greatly from her indefatigable enthusiasm and superb clinical care.”

In addition to her new role, Sarathy will continue to serve as an attending physician on the pediatric inpatient floors at MGfC. She earned her medical degree from the Boston University School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital and fellowship at Tufts Medical Center.