Sushmita G. Yallapragada, MD
Neonatologist
Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Languages Spoken:
- English Kannada
Biography
Sushmita Yallapragada, M.D., MSc, FAAP, is a neonatologist at Children’s Health℠, where she serves as Medical Director of the NICU. While she cares for all infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), she specializes in caring for preterm infants with chronic lung diseases and respiratory failure. She is also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern.
Dr. Yallapragada earned her medical degree at UT Southwestern. She completed her pediatrics residency at the University of Chicago and her fellowship training in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She also holds a master’s degree in clinical investigation from Northwestern University.
At UT Southwestern, Dr. Yallapragada teaches medical students, residents and fellows how to provide quality care for the hospital’s smallest patients. She helps them understand the support these patients need and the long-term challenges they may face.
“I truly love getting to know each patient, their families and tailoring a treatment plan to each infant,” says Dr. Yallapragada. “I enjoy a multidisciplinary approach to care, working with all pediatric specialties to heal our vulnerable patients. I believe in teamwork and supporting the families through some very difficult challenges.”
I truly love getting to know each patient, their families and tailoring a treatment plan to each infant.
Dr. Yallapragada conducts research on preterm infants with chronic lung conditions and pulmonary hypertension. Additionally, she spends time in the FETAL Center working with families who have fetal congenital anomalies, and creating a care plan for delivery and beyond. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Pediatric Research.
In her free time, Dr. Yallapragada enjoys spending time with her husband and son, particularly cheering on Dallas sports teams. She also practices and teaches Indian classical dance and enjoys traveling. She speaks both English and Kannada.
Education and Training
- Medical School
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2009)
- Residency
- University of Chicago Comer Childrens Hospital GME (2012), Pediatrics
- Fellowship
- McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University (2015), Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- Graduate School
- Northwestern University Graduate School (2015)
- Board Certification
- American Board of Pediatrics/Neonatal-Perinatal
Conditions
- Abdominal masses
- Achondroplasia (dwarfism)
- Ambiguous genitalia
- Anencephaly
- Anorectal malformation (imperforate anus or ARM)
- Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
- Biliary atresia
- Bladder exstrophy
- Bladder outlet obstruction
- Bowel atresia
- Brachydactyly (symbrachydactyly)
- Chronic lung disease (CLD)
- Cloacal exstrophy
- Colon atresia
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)
- Congenital heart disease
- Congenital infections
- Congenital lung lesions
- Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM)
- Craniosynostosis
- Cystic fibrosis (CF)
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Down syndrome
- Duodenal aresia
- Edema
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS or elastic skin)
- Encephalocele
- Encephalopathy (encephalitis)
- Enteroviruses
- Esophageal atresia (EA)
- Feeding disorder (PFD)
- First unprovoked seizure
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Gastroschisis
- Goldenhar syndrome (oculo-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia or OAV)
- Head and neck lumps
- Hemophilia
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Hirschsprung's disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Hydronephrosis
- Hydrops
- Hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice)
- Hypotonia (floppy muscle syndrome)
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (intrapartum asphyxia - HIE)
- Intestinal disorders
- Intraventricular hemorrhage and stroke
- Isolated craniosynostosis
- Jejunal and ileal atresia
- Laryngomalacia
- Lordosis (sway back)
- Low birth weight
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Meconium aspiration
- Mediastinal mass
- Metabolic diseases
- Muscular dystrophy (MD)
- Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
- Neonatal diabetes
- Newborn tumors
- Noonan syndrome (NS)
- Omphalocele
- Open neural tube defects (ONTDs)
- Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension
- Pierre Robin syndrome (PRS)
- Pleural effusion
- Poland syndrome (Poland sequence)
- Prematurity
- Prenatal drug and alcohol exposure
- Pulmonary sequestration
- Pyloric stenosis
- Renal malformation
- Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
- Rubella (German measles)
- Sepsis and meningitis
- Short bowel syndrome (SBS)
- Skeletal dysplasias and abnormalities
- Spina bifida
- Syndromic craniosynostosis
- Syphilis
- Tay-Sachs
- Toxoplasmosis
- Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF)
- VATER syndrome (VACTERL association)
Departments and Programs
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Research Interests
- Developing a specialized clinical research program to study preterm infants who have chronic lung disease, pulmonary hypertension and chronic respiratory failure
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Publications
- The Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension in Preterm Infants with Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia through 1 Year. Lagatta JM, Hysinger EB, Zaniletti I, Wymore EM, Vyas-Read S, Yallapragada S, Nelin LD, Truog WE, Padula MA, Porta NFM, Savani RC, Potoka KP, Kawut SM, DiGeronimo R, Natarajan G, Zhang H, Grover TR, Engle WA, Murthy K J. Pediatr. 2018 Aug
- Placental Villous Vascularity Is Decreased in Premature Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension. Yallapragada SG, Mestan KK, Palac H, Porta N, Gotteiner N, Hamvas A, Grobman W, Ernst LM Pediatric and developmental pathology : the official journal of the Society for Pediatric Pathology and the Paediatric Pathology Society 2016 Mar-Apr 19 2 101-7
- Successful medical management of a neonate with spontaneous splenic rupture and severe hemophilia A. Badawy SM, Rossoff J, Yallapragada S, Liem RI, Sharathkumar AA Hematology/oncology and stem cell therapy 2016 Apr
- Early-Life Exposure to Antibiotics, Alterations in the Intestinal Microbiome, and Risk of Metabolic Disease in Children and Adults. Yallapragada SG, Nash CB, Robinson DT Pediatric annals 2015 Nov 44 11 e265-9
- The Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension in Preterm Infants with Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia through 1 Year. Lagatta JM, Hysinger EB, Zaniletti I, Wymore EM, Vyas-Read S, Yallapragada S, Nelin LD, Truog WE, Padula MA, Porta NFM, Savani RC, Potoka KP, Kawut SM, DiGeronimo R, Natarajan G, Zhang H, Grover TR, Engle WA, Murthy K The Journal of pediatrics 2018 Aug
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Professional Activities
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Society for Pediatric Research
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Awards and Honors
- Elected Associate Member of Perinatal Research Society (2016)
- Recipient of NIH Loan Repayment Award (2016)