Dr Belal Alshaikh
Positions
Clinical Associate Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics | Neonatology
Staff Neonatologist and Perinatal Epidemiologist
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
Staff Neonatologist and Perinatal Epidemiologist
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences
Child Health & Wellness Researcher
Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
Contact information
Phone number
Office: 403.955.2320
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Background
Educational Background
Fellowship Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Calgary , 2011
Research Fellowship Pediatric Nutrition and Gastroenterology , University of Pennsylvania. The Children Hospital of Philadelphia. , 2015
Master Degree (MSc) Clinical Epidemiology , Community Health Science. University of Calgary. , 2013
Biography
Dr. Belal Alshaikh is a Neonatologist, Epidemiologist, Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary, Co-Chair of the Canadian Neonatal Gut Health Group of Evidence-based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ), and founder of the Society of Neonatal Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Growth. His research focuses on the impact of optimizing nutrition on growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes, and the influence of different nutrients on inflammatory response syndrome in preterm infants, and necrotizing enterocolitis.
Research
Areas of Research
My research interests include necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and neonatal nutrition and growth. NEC results in severe systemic inflammation, which is commonly identified as a major driver for poor neurodevelopment and suboptimal growth in preterm infants.
Nutrition has many key roles in prevention of NEC and potentially modulates associated inflammation. Some nutrients have already proven to reduce incidence of NEC. Many others have the potential to modulate inflammatory response to this disease. I am currently studying effects of using fish oil lipid emulsion that contains Omega-3 fatty acids on inflammation associated with NEC and other neonatal morbidities. Furthermore, I am conducting a study to address the relationship between intestinal microbiome and the development of NEC.
I also published studies on antimicrobial therapy and association between sepsis and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Projects
The aim of this project is to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in very preterm infants via the implementation of evidence-based practices and quality improvement measures. The project is ongoing and successfully reduce the incidence of NEC to ≤ 2%.
The study aims to examin the impact of perinatal factors on the intestinal microbiome, immunobiome, and metabolome of preterm infants in Alberta.
The study aims to match the right donor human milk with the right preterm infants using the prebiotic profile of the donor human milk.
This is a Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial using Collaborative Quality Improvement Strategies to Improve Nutritional and Respiratory Outcomes of Preterm Infants 32 - 36 Weeks' Gestation
This randomized trial aimed to examine the effect of High Early parenteral Lipid Intake on the Growth and Developemnt of Very Preterm Infants
This trial aims to study the effects of Omega-3 enriched parenteral lipid emulsion (SMOFlipid) on inflammation, growth, and neurodevelopment of very preterm infants.
The international Perinatal Outcomes in the Pandemic (iPOP) is an international study that aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on preterm birth worldwide.
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