For the final episode of our inaugural season of NeoNarratives, we brought on two guests: Danielle Perez Sharp, MD, MS (Class of ’25) and Sanmi Oredein, MD, MPH (Class of ‘26). While several of our fellows have kids, Danielle and Sanmi share a distinct experience in that they became first-time parents during fellowship. They discuss what it’s like balancing training with motherhood.

Danielle and Sanmi share other commonalities, too. Both served as Professional Development Chairs on the GME Diversity Committee during the 2024-2025 academic year, chose to pursue fellowship research focused on health equity, and promoted improvements in the quality of care delivered to families through our NICU Health Equity Taskforce.

They are also deeply invested in championing the next generation of young clinicians, and speak about the culture of friendship/mentorship that exists between our neo fellowship classes. “If this is really what you want to do, you can do this,” Danielle says. Sanmi agrees. “Don’t be afraid to reach out,” she says, “don’t be afraid to seek support or mentorship.”

CONTACT US

Speaking of reaching out, if you have questions for our guests, please get in touch. Email Danielle: danielle.sharp@ucsf.edu. Email Sanmi: sanmio@stanford.edu.

Have suggestions for future recordings of NeoNarratives? Email our host Laura Hedli, Science Writer in the Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine: lhedli@stanford.edu. Have questions about the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program at Stanford? Email Asia Wesley, our Education Program Manager in the Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine: awesley@stanford.edu.

Website: neonatology.stanford.edu

X: @StanfordNeo

Youtube: @stanfordneo

California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative: https://cpqcc.org/

CREDITS

This recording was produced by Stanford Medicine’s Educational Technology Team: recording and editing by Digital Media Specialist Grace Sextro with additional support from Manager of Portfolio and Projects Michael McAuliffe. Our Neonatology Education Program Manager is Asia Wesley. Our Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program Director is Dr. Melissa Scala.