Guest: Susan Hwang, MD MPH PhD
Lula O. Lubchenco Chair in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
In this episode, we chat about:
- The difference between SIDS and SUID and what families need to understand about each
- Why NICU graduates may face unique sleep-related risks, particularly during the transition home
- Current evidence-based safe sleep recommendations and how families can put them into practice
- Why safe sleep may look different in the NICU—and how to bridge the gap between hospital positioning and safe sleep at home
- Common sleep safety misconceptions, plus how an exhaustion plan can help parents prepare for moments when sleep deprivation makes safe choices harder
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About the guest
Susan Hwang, MD MPH PhD is the Lula O. Lubchenco Chair in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Hwang is Professor of Pediatrics, Neonatologist, health services researcher, and perinatal quality improvement expert. She leads the Colorado Hospitals Substance Exposed Newborn Quality Improvement Collaborative (CHoSEN QIC) and the Data-driven Engagement of Families to Improve the NICU Experience (DEEFINE) QIC. She previously led the Massachusetts Hospitals Safe Infant Sleep Quality Improvement Collaborative. Dr. Hwang received her medical degree from SUNY Downstate, MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and PhD from the University of Colorado Graduate School. She completed her pediatric residency and chief residency at New York University and her neonatal fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Hwang is an NIH-funded investigator whose research interest is in the transition of high-risk infants from hospital to home, with particular focus on safe infant sleep practices to reduce sudden unexpected infant death.