Vineet Bhandari, MD, DM, FAAP

What was your first job?

My first paid job was as a House Officer (this was after I finished my medical school internship) in the Department of Pediatric Surgery (first six months) and Pediatrics (next six months) at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India.

Tell us something about you that people wouldn't expect.

I have been practicing yoga every day since 1975, and I teach it, too.

What inspired you to become a neonatology specialist?

My first pediatric rotation in the normal newborn nursery in the third year of my medical school (AFMC, Pune, India) fascinated me. The fact that babies communicate their health or sickness status in such subtle ways appealed to me. Taking care of sick babies in the NICU was considered a challenging task, and that further gravitated me to this sub-specialty. This attraction was cemented by the fact that, in the NICU, diagnosis and intervention had to be done sometimes in seconds. When done appropriately, taking care of sick babies is so rewarding – nothing can match the feeling of discharging a healthy baby home to the parents, for hopefully, a long life.

What is your essential patient care philosophy?

Anticipation and Observation – are my two tenets of providing care to the babies in the NICU. They are inter-dependent, as close observation (supported by good history taking, physical examination, and focused investigations) allows me to anticipate potential problems/complications, and prevent/manage them appropriately in a timely manner. The third major component of my care philosophy is the team (consisting of everyone in the NICU from nurses, nurse practitioners, residents and fellows, medical and surgical specialists, to the folks at the front desk, janitorial staff, and the parents) approach that is critical for good outcomes in the NICU.

Why should a parent choose to come to you/Cooper for their baby’s care?

We have a Level III academic (teaching) NICU, as part of the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper/Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Our personnel have the requisite level of expertise and experience to take care of the sickest newborns in the southern New Jersey area. In addition, we are extremely well supported by access to pediatric medical and surgical specialists to provide the best care for the best outcomes for our babies. My personal expertise is in managing lung diseases in the babies in the NICU.

What do you hope your patients say about you to their family and friends?

I hope the parents of my patients are able to see and say how much I love babies! Most importantly, that they felt that their baby got the best care, as expected, and they were always well-informed and enjoyed being part of their baby’s care team at Cooper NICU. 

What three words best describe you?

Patient. Persistent. Precise.

Outside of your family and your work, what are your passions?

I love to read books, listen to music and dance, and travel.