The Incubator

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Who will care for the next generation of NICU babies? Daphna and Christa sit down with Colleen Reiley Moss and Jessica Meneses Jones to unpack the neonatal nurse practitioner workforce crisis. With only 37 NNP programs nationwide and clinical placements blocked by red tape, they explore why so few nurses enter the pipeline and why many leave. Christa shares how becoming a clinical site helped her program recruit, and what it truly costs. Together they make the case that NNPs and neonatologists are partners, not competitors, and call on the neonatal community to invest in preceptorship, advocacy, and recruitment before more maternity and neonatal care deserts emerge.
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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.
Enjoy!

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Daphna and Christa sit down with Dr. Alfonso Vargas to preview his journal club. They review the NICHD Neonatal Research Network PDA trial, stopped early for higher mortality with treatment, the UK FEED1 trial on full milk feeds from day one in babies at 30 to 32 weeks, and the PLaNT trial of prophylactic CPAP after cesarean birth in late preterm infants. Dr. Vargas also shares his top takeaways from the 2026 AAP therapeutic hypothermia report and why unit culture, built from the ground up, determines whether any guideline works.
Support the show
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.
Enjoy!

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To close out our FANNP Symposium coverage, Daphna and Christa sit down with Patrick McCray, president of FANNP and a neonatal nurse practitioner with AdventHealth in Orlando. Patrick shares the organization’s focus on advocacy, education, growth, and community, and explains why, despite the Florida in its name, FANNP draws NNPs from across the country and beyond. He talks about a record exhibit hall, sold out preconference courses on PICC lines and respiratory care, the on demand library for those who couldn’t attend, and year round education through Facebook Live and YouTube. He also reflects on what he finds most rewarding about his presidency.
Support the show
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.
Enjoy!

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James Roberts, co-founder and CEO of mOm Incubators, returns to Tech Tuesday almost four years after his first appearance, when the device was still in development. A lot has changed. The mOm Essentials is now CE marked and FDA cleared, in use across eight countries, and has reached roughly 18,500 patients, from NHS maternity wards to air raid shelters in Ukraine.
Daphna and James talk through what makes the system different: a bassinet sized footprint, one button operation, battery power that keeps warming through transport, and the ability to sit over a mother's bed. They discuss which babies are now staying with their parents instead of going to the NICU, the hypothermia admissions it is preventing, and how floor nurses have responded. James also shares the personal story behind the company and what mOm is building next.
mOm is now looking for US partners. Details at momincubators.com
Support the show
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.
Enjoy!

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How do we safely dose medications when more than 90 percent of NICU drugs are not FDA approved for neonates? Daphna and Christa sit down with Nicole Thompson Bowie, a neonatal nurse practitioner at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, about her neonatal pharmacology review. Nicole explains why pharmacokinetics is the foundation, why understanding the why behind every drug matters more than any protocol, and how medications given to the mother affect the baby. The conversation then turns to simulation, where Nicole shares why debriefing is the single most critical step, how video playback and open-ended questions help learners lead, why psychological safety must be protected, and how sharing her own mistakes helps win over reluctant participants.
Support the show
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.
Enjoy!