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| Kelechi Ikeri, M.D. |
An assistant professor of pediatrics at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a neonatologist at Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Ikeri will represent neonatologists on the committee for a two-year term through September 2027.
“Dr. Ikeri’s selection to the NNPQC Executive Committee is a tremendous honor — not only for him, but also for the University of South Alabama, USA Health and the entire state,” said Manimaran Ramani, M.D., MPH, MSHA, MSHQS, chief medical officer at Children’s & Women’s Hospital and chief of neonatology. “It reflects the caliber of leadership and expertise within our division, and we couldn’t be prouder to see one of our own contributing to national efforts to improve outcomes for mothers and babies.”
The NNPQC brings together perinatal quality collaboratives from across the U.S. to promote best practices and share data-driven strategies that improve outcomes for mothers and newborns. In announcing Ikeri’s selection, NNPQC leaders said his clinical experience and dedication to neonatal care will strengthen their national goals.
“We deeply value your voice and perspective and believe your participation would strengthen our collective efforts to advance perinatal health nationwide,” said Laura Sabino, project coordinator for the National Institute for Children's Health Quality.
The executive committee guides NNPQC’s mission by setting national priorities, advising on quality improvement initiatives, and supporting programs that help hospitals and health systems deliver the safest, highest-quality care possible for mothers and infants.
At Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Ikeri provides specialized care for premature and critically ill infants in the region’s only level III neonatal intensive care unit.
In 2024, Ikeri was chosen to serve as the neonatal physician lead for the Alabama Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a state perinatal program by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). In that role, Ikeri works with the ADPH to implement, coordinate, and oversee perinatal quality improvement initiatives and address health equity across the state at 24 member hospitals. Ikeri earned a medical degree from the University of Lagos College of Medicine in Idi-Araba, in Lagos, Nigeria.
“Dr. Ikeri’s appointment underscores the growing national recognition of the expertise found within USA Health and the Whiddon College of Medicine,” said Benjamin Estrada, M.D., assistant dean for medical education, professor, and interim chair of pediatrics at USA Health. “His leadership at the national level will help ensure that the voices and experiences of clinicians in Alabama are represented in shaping policies that improve maternal and neonatal outcomes nationwide.”
Ikeri worked in hospitals in Nigeria and Tobago before moving to the United States in 2015. He completed a pediatrics residency at Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Centre in Brooklyn, New York, in 2018, and completed a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia in June 2021.
He is certified in general pediatrics and neonatology by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and American College of Medical Quality.
