The Incubator #395 - [DELPHI PANEL] - How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Neonatal Care?
Jan 29, 2026
Selva Selvaraj, AI and analytics leader in pediatric care. Dr. Thao Ho, neonatologist researching AI to read newborn facial expressions. Dr. Ryan McAdams, neonatologist building clinical AI tools. Dr. Jim Barry, neonatology professor driving clinical innovation and governance. They discuss predictive models for sepsis and NEC, AI for pain and behavior monitoring, documentation automation, digital twins, generalizability across NICUs, ethics, family-facing chatbots, and governance.
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AI Is Largely Preclinical In NICUs
- Most clinical AI remains in research and papers rather than live bedside deployment today.
- Jim Barry and others describe AI as a promise-rich ship waiting for infrastructure and governance to dock.
Clinicians Must Join AI Governance
- Clinicians must join AI evaluation and governance to ensure safety and usefulness.
- Advocate locally so models fit clinical needs and provide feedback loops for improvement.
Set Up Multidisciplinary AI Governance
- Build multidisciplinary AI governance including clinicians, nurses, ethics, IT, operations, and patients.
- Require a human-in-the-loop for patient-facing tools until trust and validation mature.