NEONATAL FUNDAMENTALS SERIES

Laura Meredith-Dennis is a Neonatal Dietitian with over 20 years of experience managing the nutrition care of preterm infants in a level 3 NICU. Laura obtained her BS in Nutrition Science from the University of California, Davis, and in 2015, obtained her MAS (Master of Advanced Study) in maternal and child nutrition again at the University of California, Davis. She values educating dietitians, physicians, nurses as well as students on the importance of optimal nutrition provision for this most vulnerable patient population. She has shared her knowledge and expertise nationwide as a speaker for Abbott Nutrition for over 10 years.

Michelle Johnson is a Registered Dietitian and Research Scientist in Pediatric Scientific and Medical Affairs at Abbott, where she provides global clinical and scientific leadership for infant feedings. Her areas of expertise include preterm infant, neonatal and pediatric clinical nutrition. Michelle is an editor for the Pocket Guide to Neonatal Nutrition, 3rd edition, author for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on the topic of neonatal nutrition, and as well, she’s authored several other papers on neonatal and preterm infant nutrition. 

Prior to joining Abbott in 2014, Michelle was a neonatal and pediatric clinical dietitian for 17 years in U.S. neonatal intensive care units and pediatric hospitals along the East Coast and in the Midwest. At Abbott, Michelle is involved in clinical research, new product development, and provides medical nutrition expertise to support educational initiatives regarding pediatric feedings and their benefits for children.

Stephanie Merlino Barr, MS, RDN, LD is a Neonatal Dietitian in the Department of Pediatrics at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. Stephanie is also a doctoral candidate at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine’s (CWRU SOM) Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences. Her research focuses on early life nutrition interventions and their relationship with growth and body composition outcomes in premature infants. Stephanie is also an Adjunct Instructor at CWRU SOM’s Department of Nutrition, where she teaches a graduate-level course on human lactation. Stephanie is an editor of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Pocket Guide to Neonatal Nutrition 3rd Edition, published in July 2022 and a contributor to the Academy’s online Pediatric Nutrition Care Manual.

Sharon Groh-Wargo is a Neonatal Nutritionist in the Department of Pediatrics at MetroHealth Medical Center and an Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Sharon has over 40 years of experience, is a nationally known speaker and researcher, and has authored numerous publications on neonatal nutrition. She is an editor of both editions of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Pocket Guide to Neonatal Nutrition. She is a contributor to the Academy’s online Pediatric Nutrition Care Manual and she authored a new chapter on “Lactoengineering” for the 3rd edition of “Infant and Pediatric Feedings: Guidelines for Preparation of Human Milk and Formula in Health Care Facilities”. Dr. Groh-Wargo participates in the Pre-B Project, sponsored by the NIH in cooperation with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which was convened to perform systematic reviews of neonatal nutrition and to set national dietary guidelines for the premature infant.