Dr. Dalal Taha: Advancing Neonatal Medicine Through Innovation, Compassion, and Scientific Leadership
In the high-acuity world of neonatal medicine—where the smallest patients face the greatest challenges—few physicians embody dedication, innovation, and quiet strength as profoundly as Dalal Taha, D.O. Over her decade-long career as a neonatologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, Dr. Taha has emerged as a leader in one of medicine’s most rapidly evolving frontiers: neonatal lymphatic disorders.
Her work bridges clinical excellence, scientific discovery, and unwavering commitment to families navigating the most fragile moments of their lives. Today, as an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Dr. Taha stands at the forefront of neonatology, helping redefine how clinicians understand, diagnose, and treat complex lymphatic and cardiopulmonary disease in newborns.
Early Foundations: A Commitment to Science and Service
Dr. Taha’s journey began at The College of New Jersey, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She continued her medical training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine, where her early promise was recognized through the Alumni Association Scholarship. During residency at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, she distinguished herself again—first as a pediatrics resident, then as Chief Resident, a role reflecting both her leadership and her dedication to medical education.
Her calling crystallized during her neonatology fellowship at Jefferson Medical College, where she again served as Chief Fellow. During these formative years, she received multiple national honors, including awards from the Eastern Society for Pediatric Research, recognition from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Hemant J. Desai Fellowship Award. These accolades foreshadowed the unique contributions she would go on to make in neonatal medicine.
A Career at CHOP: Expanding the Boundaries of Neonatal Care
In 2014, Dr. Taha joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the neonatology division at CHOP—one of the world’s most respected institutions in pediatric innovation. As an attending neonatologist at both CHOP and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, she cares for critically ill infants with conditions ranging from extreme prematurity to complex genetic syndromes, cardiopulmonary instability, and multisystem disease.
Her clinical home also extends to the Jill and Mark Fishman Center for Lymphatic Disorders, where she plays a pivotal role in a multidisciplinary team managing some of the rarest neonatal conditions seen in modern medicine. This work has become one of the defining features of her career.
Pioneering the Field of Neonatal Lymphatic Disorders
Over the past decade, Dr. Taha has helped lead a transformation in how clinicians understand the neonatal lymphatic system—a once overlooked circulation now recognized as central to disorders of fluid balance, chronic lung disease, and inflammatory injury in newborns. Through groundbreaking collaboration with cardiologists, radiologists, surgeons, and lymphatic specialists at CHOP, she has contributed to pioneering investigations that link lymphatic dysfunction to respiratory morbidity, systemic edema, and the pathophysiology of severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
Her research on lymphatic imaging and interventions, published in Journal of Perinatology in 2020, illuminated how early diagnosis and targeted therapies can dramatically improve outcomes. Her work has since expanded into studies on ventilation-lymphatic interactions, hypereosinophilia in lymphatic flow disorders, and the role of novel surgical approaches such as lymphocutaneous fistula creation in infants with central lymphatic obstruction.
These contributions have positioned Dr. Taha as a national voice in the diagnosis and management of neonatal lymphatic disease—an emerging subspecialty within neonatology. Her expertise has led to invitations to lecture across the U.S. and internationally, from Abu Dhabi to New York, Missouri, Maryland, and multiple academic children’s hospitals nationwide.
An Educator and Mentor Who Shapes the Next Generation
Teaching has always been integral to Dr. Taha’s identity. From her earliest faculty years, she became a trusted lecturer in physiology, neonatal respiratory failure, lymphatic disorders, and complex case management. At CHOP, she has taught residents, fellows, and medical students across multiple curricula and regional boot camps.
She has served on numerous education committees, including the Neonatology Fellows Clinical Competency Committee and the Fellowship Selection Committee, influencing trainee evaluation, mentorship, and academic development for nearly a decade. In 2024, she became a clinical mentor within the Neonatology Fellowship Program—an acknowledgment of her commitment to fostering future leaders in newborn medicine.
Her teaching recognitions, invited professorships, and ability to translate emerging science into bedside care have made her an essential part of the educational fabric at CHOP and Penn.
A Researcher Advancing Evidence-Based Care
Dr. Taha’s scholarly contributions include:
Peer-reviewed publications in Journal of Pediatrics, Journal of Perinatology, Pediatric Surgery International, J Matern Fetal Neonatal Medicine, and NeoReviews.
Reviews in Seminars in Pediatric Surgery exploring the neonatologist’s perspective on lymphatic disorders.
Book chapters for gold-standard pediatric texts, including Avery’s Diseases of the Newborn and the Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics.
Multiple abstracts selected for national and international scientific meetings.
Her research has offered new insights into topics such as:
Early caffeine therapy to prevent BPD
High-flow nasal cannula and morbidity in extremely low-birth-weight infants
The lymphatic phenotype in severe BPD
Effects of ventilation on lymphatic flow
Innovative treatment strategies for neonatal lymphedema
These investigations inform both clinical practice and emerging research priorities in neonatal-perinatal medicine.
Leadership in Scientific Conferences and Professional Societies
Dr. Taha has served as an abstract reviewer for the Pediatric Academic Societies meetings for nearly a decade and has held key organizational roles, including:
Director of CHOP’s First and Second Annual Lymphatic Disorders Conferences
Co-lead of the 2025 Lymphatic Disorders Focus Group for the Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium
Reviewer for the journal Acta Paediatrica
Her national presence extends through her longstanding involvement in the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Philadelphia Perinatal Society, and multiple osteopathic and pediatric organizations.
A Career Rooted in Compassion and Innovation
What sets Dr. Taha apart is not only her scientific rigor but the humanity she brings to every aspect of her work. Neonatology is a specialty defined by uncertainty, emotional intensity, and high stakes. Her research on clinician distress at the frontier of mortality, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, underscores her commitment to supporting not only patients and families but also the clinicians who care for them.
Her work invites a broader understanding of what it means to practice neonatal medicine today: to lead with empathy, to innovate with courage, and to continually ask how outcomes can be improved for the most vulnerable infants.
IMPACT
Dr. Dalal Taha’s career reflects the future of neonatology—interdisciplinary, innovative, and deeply human. Through her clinical expertise, scientific contributions, and unwavering commitment to teaching, she has helped redefine neonatal care at one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals. Her legacy continues to grow, one discovery, one lecture, and one newborn life at a time.