Children’s & Women's Physicians of Westchester, LLP

PRAVEEN BALLABH, MD

Professor of Pediatrics
Cell Biology & Anatomy
Director, Vascular Neurosciences Lab

EDUCATION:
Medical School: Institute of Medical Sciences, India, 1984
Residency: Christ Hospital Medical Center, Illinois, 1997
Fellowship: NY Presbyterian/Cornell, 2001

Pediatric Boards: 1997
Neonatal-Perinatal Boards: 2001

Dr. Ballabh is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Cell biology and Anatomy at New York Medical College. His laboratory is focused to elucidate pathogenesis of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in premature newborns.

Dr. Ballabh and his colleagues are also evaluating neuroprotective strategies to prevent brain damage and subsequent cerebral palsy in premature infants after the development of IVH.

The group has succeeded in developing an animal model of intraventricular hemorrhage in rabbit pups in which the hemorrhage evolves into white matter injury, similar to the preterm survivors of IVH. This model is being used for evaluating treatment avenues for both the prevention of IVH and neuroprotection after IVH.

In a recent study, Dr. Ballabh and his co-workers found that there is a rapid formation of new vessels in the part of the brain where IVH is initiated. Administering the drug celecoxib, which is commonly used to treat arthritis pain, reduced the formation of these blood vessels and substantially decreased the incidence of brain hemorrhage in the animal model. The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and appeared in the journal Nature Medicine.

POSITIONS:
1985-1989 Pediatrician, Government Hospitals of Bihar, India

1990-1995 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Rajendra Medical College, Ranchi

1996-1997 Resident, Department of Pediatrics, Christ Hospital Medical Center, University of Illinois, Chicago

1997-1998 Fellow, Pediatric Critical Care, Children's Hospital Of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit

1998-2001 Fellow, Neonatal Perinatal Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital of Cornell Univ., New York

2001-2005 Assistant Professor, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, The Regional Neonatal Center, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY

2005 - Present Associate Professor, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, The Regional Neonatal Center, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY

HONORS:
Best Fellow Award, Neonatal -Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
Ranked third in the university in the final medical-school examination
Scored above 95th percentile in Pediatric and Neonatology Boards
Board Certification: 1997 Pediatrics, 2001 Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine