October 08, 2025

507 - Neonatology with Dr. Geoff Binney MD MPH

37 minutes

Dr. Carole Keim welcomes neonatologist and chair of pediatrics at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Geoff Binney, MD, MPH, to The Baby Manual for a conversation about what expectant parents should know regarding newborn care and the NICU, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Drs. Keim and Binney discuss the age of viability for premature babies, advances in neonatology such as surfactant therapy for Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and the different levels of NICU care available depending on gestational age and medical needs.

Dr. Binney and Dr. Keim talk about common newborn challenges, including breathing difficulties, infections, blood sugar monitoring for at-risk infants, and jaundice. Both doctors stress the importance of preventive care, such as antibiotics for Group B strep and vitamin K injections at birth. Dr. Binney shares that a neonatologist’s role is to provide a supportive environment for premature or ill infants so they can continue developing safely. He reassures parents that most children born early grow up healthy and indistinguishable from their peers. This episode gives parents-to-be information about what to expect if their child is born preterm and offers them comfort in knowing how far medical care for newborn infants has come.

Dr. Geoff Binney, MD, MPH:

Dr. Geoffrey Binney is a neonatologist in Boston, Massachusetts and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Boston Children's Hospital and Tufts Medical Center. He is the Chair and David And Leona F. Karp Professor of Pediatrics, and the Tufts University School of Medicine Pediatrician-in-Chief. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Resources discussed in this episode: