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Neonatology is the subspecialty of Pediatrics committed to taking care of newborn babies, mainly critically ill premature babies. The word neonatology basically means “the study or the science of the newborn” (”neo” is new, “natal” is birth). Neonate means newborn and the neonatal period of our lives is the one which goes from the time of birth until 28 days of age. Perinatal is the period “around birth” and includes the fetus and the neonate ( i.e.: before and after birth).
In the USA and in other nations in the world the neonatologists are physicians who have been first fully trained and certified in Pediatrics (during at least 3 years of residency training). After that they have to complete a Fellowship (another 3 years of sub specialized training) and later can receive Board certification in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Many neonatologists devote many hours of the year, days and nights, caring for critically ill newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Some neonatologists receive further training in Perinatal medicine and are more versed than others in fetal conditions and in their diagnoses and treatments.
Dr. Sola gained extensive experience not only in Neonatal medicine but also in Perinatal medicine. He trained under and then worked with the pioneers of fetal physiology at University of California San Francisco and also worked for many years as the neonatologist of the Fetal Treatment Center at UCSF, one of the first such centers in the world dedicated to the treatment of human fetus with serious clinical conditions.