Leading Researcher and Clinician to Drive Strategic Goals
for World-Renowned Children’s Hospital at Montefiore

NEW YORK (November 12, 2012) – Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University today named Judy Aschner, M.D., chair of the pediatrics department at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and professor and Michael I. Cohen, M.D., University Chair of Pediatrics at Einstein. Aschner joins from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she has served as director of neonatology and the Julia Carell Stadler professor of pediatrics. She will assume her new position in April 2013.

Aschner will lead the next phase of growth for The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), which is recognized worldwide for its expertise in a wide range of pediatric specialties as well as its innovative clinical and translational research. CHAM has more than 8,200 admissions, 130,000 outpatient visits and 80,000 emergency department visits annually. Each year more than 6,300 babies are born at Montefiore, and the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit admits nearly 900 fragile, premature infants.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Aschner, a nationally recognized leader in neonatology and pediatrics, to Montefiore,” said Steven Safyer, M.D., president and chief executive officer, Montefiore Medical Center. “Dr. Aschner is an outstanding clinician and researcher who brings great passion, exacting standards and a spirit of innovation to The Children's Hospital at Montefiore. Under her leadership, CHAM will accelerate its extraordinary trajectory, bringing new knowledge to the treatment of children suffering from serious diseases and providing the most sophisticated and compassionate family-centered care.”

Aschner’s clinical experience and family-centered approach to care have impacted the health and well-being of countless patients in her communities and beyond. She has collaborated with institutions across the United States and around the world to improve perinatal care, to mentor the next generation of neonatologists and to ensure the health of infants and children.

“I am honored by the opportunity to assume the role of physician-in-chief at CHAM and chair of pediatrics at Montefiore and Einstein. I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty in the pediatrics department and the leadership at Montefiore and Einstein to assure this department is a national leader in pediatric healthcare delivery, training and research,” Dr. Aschner said. “The collaborative community and the intellectually robust environment at Montefiore and Einstein make for a perfect partnership. The mission of this academic medical center resonates strongly with me and I look forward to caring for children in the Bronx and beyond.” 

Aschner’s research has focused on the regulation of the neonatal pulmonary circulation and the factors that contribute to pulmonary hypertension in infants with lung and heart disease. She has translated her bench work to the clinical arena where she is currently a principal investigator on a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded multi-center study to identify novel biomarkers that predict which extremely preterm infants are at greatest risk for long-term respiratory morbidity. 

“Dr. Aschner knows how to support and drive medical innovations so they quickly move from the bench to the bedside,” said Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of Einstein. “Her leadership skills will advance our institutions’ research, education and patient care.” Dr. Aschner is also professor of obstetrics & gynecology and women’s health at Einstein.

Aschner received her Bachelor of Science from Union College and completed her doctorate, pediatric residency, and neonatology fellowship at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Aschner worked at the Albany Medical College as assistant professor of pediatrics; Wake Forest University Health Sciences as associate professor and later professor of pediatrics; and Vanderbilt University Medical Center as professor of pediatrics as well as director of neonatology at The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Aschner also holds leadership positions with the American Pediatric Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Perinatal Pediatrics, the American Board of Pediatrics and IPOKRaTES, an international teaching organization dedicated to sharing medical knowledge, especially for the benefit of developing countries. She is currently a Fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women.