Newswise — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Dr. David F. Sorrentino’s new appointment as chief of the division of neonatology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and director of the Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital marks a homecoming of sorts.

A Philadelphia native with extensive experience in that region, Dr. Sorrentino has roots in the City of Brotherly Love, even earning recognition as one of the “rising stars in Philadelphia medicine” by Philadelphia Magazine. However, a little more than a decade ago, he also was a member of the faculty at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, serving as assistant professor of pediatrics from 2003-2006. In addition, during that time he established and was named medical director of the Infant Apnea Program at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJUH.

“It is a pleasure to have Dr. Sorrentino at Rutgers,” says Vicente H. Gracias, MD, interim dean, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “His commitment to exceptional neonatal and perinatal care, along with his ability to expand and enhance programs designed for even the most fragile of infants, are a perfect complement to the ‘bench to bedside’ programs we provide for children of any age.”

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Sorrentino to our pediatric academic health campus to lead our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,” adds Michael Antoniades, MPA, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “Dr. Sorrentino brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in neonatology and perinatal medicine as well as research to The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJ, and we are confident that under his leadership, we will continue to expand our hospital’s reputation for providing the highest quality, nationally distinguished women’s and children’s services to residents of our state and region.”

A board-certified specialist in neonatal-perinatal medicine and pediatrics, Dr. Sorrentino received his bachelor of science degree in biology from Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. After completing residency training in pediatrics at New York University, he completed fellowship training in neonatal-perinatal medicine at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

Most recently, Dr. Sorrentino served as chief of the section of neonatology at Reading Hospital, a position he held from 2009 to 2015. While there, he oversaw the redesign and expansion of the NICU and helped develop multiple neonatal programs, as well as helped establish a pediatric hospitalist program. For the past four years, Dr. Sorrentino chaired the Ethics Committee at Reading Hospital. He also served as assistant professor of pediatrics at Drexel University School of Medicine. And, at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, which is affiliated with Drexel, he served as director of the Nursery Outreach Program since 2006 and as co-director of the Fetal Evaluation Center since 2009. During his term at St. Christopher’s, Dr. Sorrentino established multiple hospital affiliations for the NICU, including one with Reading Hospital.

Dr. Sorrentino’s research interests include hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a type of brain injury resulting from a lack of oxygen to the brain; and cytokine-mediated neuronal cell injury.

He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, where he is a Fellow in the Section of Perinatal Pediatrics, and of the Philadelphia Perinatal Society, for which he served a two-year term as president. He also served on the board of the Children’s Home of Reading, an inpatient treatment program for disturbed and abused youths. In addition to receiving multiple recognitions as a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly and Philadelphia Magazine, Dr. Sorrentino has earned awards as Fellow Educator of the Year (2005 and 2006) and Physician Educator of the Year at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

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About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolAs one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school's principal affiliate, comprise one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.

Part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 20 basic science and clinical departments, hosts centers and institutes including The Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels on its campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.rutgers.edu or interact via social media at www.facebook.com/RWJMedicalSchool and www.twitter.com/RWJMS.

About Robert Wood Johnson University HospitalRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 965-bed hospital with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville, offering Central New Jersey residents expanded access to the highest quality medical services and a wider array of innovative therapies available at only a small number of elite academic medical centers nationwide. RWJUH’s New Brunswick and Somerset campuses now serve as the flagship hospital of Robert Wood Johnson Health System, New Jersey’s premier health system of choice, which currently has $1.5 billion in revenue, approximately 10,300 employees, 3,250 medical staff members, and 1,733 beds.

RWJUH New Brunswick is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care, from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation; cancer care; and women’s and children’s care, including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its groundbreaking approaches to emergency preparedness. RWJUH Somerset provides comprehensive health care services to residents throughout Central New Jersey. Its Steeplechase Cancer Center is designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, it is a Joint Commission- and state-designated Primary Stroke Center, and The Joint Surgery Institute at RWJUH Somerset has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and total hip replacement surgery.

For more information about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, visit www.rwjuh.edu.