Newswise — Aimen Shaaban, MD, a pediatric surgeon and leading expert in the area of fetal surgery, has joined Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago as Director of The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health and as Professor of Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine effective July 1, 2017.
The Chicago Institute has a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional mandate to provide a complete spectrum of care for the fetus and mother ranging from prevention of disease to in utero fetal surgery. This addition helps support Lurie Children’s mission to provide the best possible care for our patients and their families.
Since 2012 Dr. Shaaban has been a fetal surgeon and the Director of the Center for Fetal Cellular and Molecular Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
“Dr. Shaaban’s unique skills are shared by only a handful of pediatric surgeons in the world,” said Marleta Reynolds, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief. “He has been studying and practicing fetal surgery for over 20 years, and we are very pleased to have him join the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Lurie Children’s. His comprehensive skill set, medical expertise, and vision will expand the care we can provide to families through The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health.”
Prior to his work in Cincinnati, from 2008-2012 Dr. Shaaban served as an Associate Professor of Surgery with Tenure and as Director of the Laboratory for Fetal Cellular Therapy at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Before that, from 2002-2008 he served as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
Dr. Shaaban has lectured nationally and internationally and is among the most well-respected fetal intervention surgeons in the world. His clinical research contributions surround the diagnosis and treatment of congenital diseases such as spina bifida, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT), congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM), gastroschisis, omphalocele, twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), and fetal bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). He has published extensively in these areas and receives support for his basic science research program from the National Institutes of Health.
“Fetal surgery is a highly complex symphony of multidisciplinary expertise that comes together to achieve the daunting mission of correcting congenital defects of the fetus, while still in the mother’s womb,” said Fizan Abdullah, MD, PhD, Division Head of Pediatric Surgery. “Dr. Shaaban has proven himself to be a visionary who has made exceptional contributions to the clinical and research arenas. I am so thrilled to welcome such a surgeon of national and international renown to the faculty here at Lurie Children’s.”
Dr. Shaaban received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and his pediatric surgical residency and post-doctoral fellowship in fetal surgery research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
#####
About Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Lurie Children’s is the only children’s hospital in Illinois and one of only a very few in the country, recognized by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I pediatric surgery center, the highest quality designation possible. It is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report, and is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Last year, the hospital served more than 174,000 children from 50 states and 48 countries.
RSS