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Credit: Dr. Camilia Martin
Dr. Camilia Martin, an esteemed physician-scientist who combines clinical care and innovative research on neonatal nutrition to improve outcomes for premature and newborn babies, has been named chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital, effective May 1.
The Division of Newborn Medicine is housed within the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns. The neonatal team delivers more than 7,300 babies annually and provides individualized care for babies born with disorders or abnormalities and mothers with high-risk conditions that complicate pregnancy. Using state-of-the-art technology and working in collaboration with numerous subspecialists, the division’s neonatal outcomes, including mortality and complications of prematurity, exceed worldwide benchmarks in this area of care. Dr. Martin succeeds Dr. Jeffrey Perlman, who has led the division since 1997, and will remain on faculty, increasing his focus on global health programs.
In her new role, Dr. Martin will lead a skilled team of physicians and scientists focused on clinical care, research and education in key areas of newborn medicine. She will seek to expand patient access to newborn services, prioritize the family’s voice and experience in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and develop a new strategic plan for streamlining clinical care. She will also work to expand the institution’s neonatal research programs and cultivate the next generation of physician-scientists specializing in newborn medicine.
Dr. Martin comes to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where she served most recently as associate director of the neonatal intensive care unit and associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She is a Weill Cornell Medicine alumna, graduating in 1992, and also an alumna of the institution’s Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program, which provides exposure to medicine, research experience and mentorship to premedical students from underrepresented backgrounds.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Martin as our new chief of newborn medicine,” said Dr. Sallie Permar, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and pediatrician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. “As an outstanding neonatal specialist, scientist, mentor and educator who has driven critical advances in neonatal care, Dr. Martin is an ideal choice for the position. I look forward to working with her as we expand our specialized services focused on improving the health of our youngest, and often most vulnerable, patients.”
“I’m excited to return to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital to lead the Division of Newborn Medicine,” Dr. Martin said. “It’s an honor to have an opportunity to give back to the institution where I got my start in medicine and contribute to its growth and future. The division’s emphasis on clinical excellence and investment in the pillars of research, education and community outreach represent a unique opportunity in the field.”
Dr. Martin’s research focuses on neonatal metabolism and nutrition and how they affect the health of babies born prematurely. Specifically, she investigates fatty acid metabolism, postnatal intestinal adaptation, the development of immune defenses and the regulation of inflammatory responses. She has served as site principal investigator in multi-site clinical trials, including the first iteration of the landmark Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn (ELGAN) study, which has resulted in more than 100 publications on growth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants.
Dr. Martin will tap into existing resources provided by the Weill Cornell Medicine Clinical & Translational Science Center and expand collaborative relationships with interdisciplinary researchers within Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell Tech, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and The Rockefeller University.
“There is a large opportunity to advance our understanding of how preterm babies process and absorb nutrition,” Dr. Martin said. “Once we figure out their particular needs, we can develop more specific diets and make key strides in improving their ability to thrive.”
About Dr. Camilia Martin
Dr. Martin received her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis, medical degree from Weill Cornell Medicine and master’s degree in epidemiology from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. She completed her internship and residency and then served as chief pediatric resident at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, followed by a clinical fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Harvard University.
Beginning in 1995, Dr. Martin has served as a physician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and subsequently as a neonatal specialist at various other hospitals, including Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She was an instructor in pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine from 1995 to 1996, before joining the pediatrics department at Harvard Medical School in 1999, first serving as instructor and rising to associate professor in 2016, her most recent position.
Dr. Martin has co-authored more than 70 articles published in leading peer-reviewed journals. She has also authored and co-authored numerous medical reference materials, including the Neonatology Review book series used by medical students and nurse practitioners worldwide. Dr. Martin is a member of multiple medical organizations, including the American Pediatric Society and the Perinatal Research Society. Since 2019, she has served as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on the Fetus and Newborn.
Dr. Martin has received numerous awards, including the Richard Rivas Memorial Award, the Biomedical Services Career Program Honor Roll and Senior Resident of the Year at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She also received the Faculty Fellowship Award from Harvard Catalyst/Harvard Medical School and recently the Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Honor Roll Award from Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Martin has been awarded several major grants for advancing neonatal nutrition research, including a study supported by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to evaluate the biological mechanisms contributing to nutritional properties in human milk.
NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.
Ranked the #1 hospital in New York and the #7 hospital in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is also recognized as among the best in the nation in the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.
NewYork-Presbyterian’s 48,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world. For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side’s scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine’s powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide exemplary patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.