In this episode, Rupa talks with Dr. Hailey Evans, a third-year fellow at Harvard's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program, transitioning to a neonatology faculty role at Yale. Hailey shares findings from her qualitative study of 41 neonatologists on death and non-death loss in the NICU — covering themes like emotional connection, weight of responsibility, and unsupportive workplace culture around debriefs and M&Ms. She also discusses the moral distress curriculum she built for fellows, why mentorship matters, and her advice for pursuing a research niche that feels too unconventional. A candid look at the emotional toll of neonatology, and how to carry it better.
As always, feel free to send us questions, comments, or suggestions to our email: nicupodcast@gmail.com. You can also contact the show through Instagram or Twitter, @nicupodcast. Or contact Ben and Daphna directly via their Twitter profiles: @drnicu and @doctordaphnamd. The papers discussed in today's episode are listed and timestamped on the webpage linked below.
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