Building Bridges in Perinatal Care

Our vision is to provide care for moms in the Buffalo community beginning from preconception, continuing through pregnancy and seamlessly transitioning to providing care at the time of delivery for infants. We strive to provide the leading perinatal and neonatal care in Buffalo and the surrounding region. Oishei Children’s Hospital delivers approximately 3,600 babies annually and serves as the region’s only Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and state-designated Regional Perinatal Center. At least a third of the yearly deliveries are considered high risk and as high as 900 babies are cared for yearly in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

It is the mission of our team to provide coordinated evidence-based care for expectant mothers and their babies. Our experienced team supports women through high-risk pregnancies. We provide a direct line of communication between the Maternal Fetal Medicine team and the Neonatal team which will be caring for babies post-delivery. This approach is meant to address the needs of the mother and her fetus, through the infant’s birth and subsequent care provided in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Our patients are reviewed regularly throughout their pregnancies to ensure we are providing the most comprehensive care along with passing on information needed post-delivery. Through monthly multi-disciplinary meetings including both maternal and pediatric subspecialists, clinical plans are discussed, and consults are arranged prior to delivery for both mom and baby. Complex deliveries are coordinated to ensure optimal baby outcomes and post-delivery cases are reviewed to provide direct feedback between teams.

Valerie Elberson, MD, is a practicing neonatologist at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital. She is a graduate of The State University of New York Upstate Medical University. She completed her residency in pediatrics as well as her fellowship in neonatology at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo. After fellowship, Dr. Elberson remained in Buffalo as a Clinical Assistant Professor for the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, employed by UBMD Pediatrics. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she is the Associate Medical Director of the Neonatal ICU (NICU), Director of Newborn Screening for the NICU and Neonatal Director of Buffalo Building Bridges in Perinatal Care-B-BBPC. Dr. Elberson has also been active in teaching fellows, residents and medical students at the bedside.

Heather Link, MD, MPH

Oishei Children's Hospital

Heather Link, MD, MPH, studied both medicine and public health at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. After graduating from medical school, she completed residency in OB/GYN at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and then fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. During her fellowship she interned with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Since completing fellowship she has worked as a consultant for the WHO on work addressing on global maternal causes of death in pregnancy. She is an active member of the American College of OBGYNs and a regional leader within New York state. She is affiliated to UB as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In addition to her active clinical work she is the Director of Obstetric Ultrasound Quality for Kaleida health and the Maternal Fetal Medicine Director of Buffalo Building Bridges in Perinatal Care-B-BBPC.

Praveen Chandrasekharan, MD, MS, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, who also serves as the Associate Chief of Neonatology & Respiratory Medical Director for the NICU at OCH. He will oversee the expansion of B-BBPC and work with the directors.

• Dr. Heather Link: hlink1@kaleidahealth.org
• Dr. Valerie Elberson: vde@buffalo.edu
• Dr. Praveen Chandrasekharan: pkchandr@buffalo.edu