Doernbecher neonatal Care Center Give Vulnerable PatientS The

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Cynthia McEvoy, M.D.
Associate Professor of
Pediatrics, OHSU Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital
Director of Clinical Research,
Pediatric and Child Health
Research Program
“My focus is on learning more
about how lungs grow in premature and full term
babies, and how different factors influence this. It’s
fascinating – there’s so much we can learn about how
nutrition, genetics and toxins such as nicotine affect
how a baby does throughout life.”
Dr. McEvoy received her medical degree from
Loyola University. She completed a residency at
Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Los Angeles and
a fellowship in neonatology at the University of
Southern California, Los Angeles. Her clinical
interests involve pulmonary function testing in
neonates and pediatric patients. Dr. McEvoy is
board certified in pediatrics and neonatology.
Before joining OHSU in 2001, Dr. McEvoy served
as medical director of the Children’s Hospital
at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla. She
is a council member for the Western Society for
Pediatric Research.
Sue Ann Smith, M.D.
Assistant Professor of
Pediatrics, OHSU Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital
“It is my privilege and passion
to work with a very talented
team in the Doernbecher
Neonatal Care Center to
provide excellent care so that babies born early or
with other challenges have an opportunity to have
long and healthy (and happy, I hope) lives.”
Dr. Smith received her medical degree from
the University of California, Los Angeles. She
completed a residency in pediatrics at OHSU,
where she also completed a fellowship in
neonatology. She is board certified in neonatalperinatal
medicine. Dr. Smith is a fellow of the
American Academy of Pediatrics.
Developing Tomorrow’s
Neonatal Care
Thanks to modern neonatal care, more premature
babies survive than ever before. Although
specialized NICUs like the DNCC can keep babies
26 weeks old or even younger alive, the cost of
surviving premature birth can include long-term
health problems.
Ali MacIntyre’s sons Jack and Cole are “100 percent
fabulous – big and healthy.” Heidi Albright’s twins
Kaden and Kory are also doing fine. But not all
premature babies are so lucky. About 60 percent of
babies born at 26 weeks have disabilities, including lung
disease, blindness, deafness and neurological problems
ranging from cerebral palsy to learning disorders.
Doernbecher’s neonatal experts are studying how
these problems develop and how to cure them.
Cynthia McEvoy, M.D., is studying the neonatal
origins of lung conditions that occur later in life,
such as wheezing and asthma. “There’s so much
we need to learn about how nutrition and toxins
such as nicotine affect these organ systems,” she
said. One study involves tracking lung function in
children born with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
“My dream is to have a 24-7 technician and a
separate area to study children in the nursery,” she
says. “I’d bring them back for long-term follow-up
in a family-friendly environment. It’s important,
because it is not well known how children with this
condition develop between birth and age 5 or 6.”
Dr. McEvoy and her team are studying whether
Vitamin C given daily to pregnant women who
cannot quit smoking can block the harmful effects
of nicotine exposure on fetal lung development.
They also trained in London, England, to conduct
specialized lung testing on babies as they grow.
She would like to add a second testing machine at
one of OHSU’s community clinics, making it more
convenient for parents to bring their children.