Elie G. Abu Jawdeh, M.D., Ph.D.

Biography

Elie G. Abu Jawdeh, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is a clinical scholar and specializes in neonatal-perinatal medicine.

Dr. Abu Jawdeh earned his medical degree and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in pediatrics at the American University of Beirut. He earned his doctoral degree in clinical and translational science at the University of Kentucky. He completed a residency in pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University and its Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, where he also gained advanced training through a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship. During his residency, Dr. Abu Jawdeh earned a global health certificate and participated in international medical missions.

Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2024.

He previously served at the University of Kentucky, where he was medical director of the neonatal physician assistant (PA) residency program, physician lead of Kentucky Children’s Hospital Schwartz Rounds, and the director of the infant respiratory control (apnea) program.

Dr. Abu Jawdeh has served in leadership positions for numerous research projects. He leads a multidisciplinary, National Institutes of Health-funded research program integrating clinical, translational, and basic science approaches to study intermittent hypoxemia (IH) in preterm infants. His overarching goal is to better understand the consequences of IH, identify underlying mechanisms of injury, and develop strategies to mitigate these effects. His current work focuses on the discovery of systemic biomarkers associated with IH-related brain injury and the development of therapeutic interventions. Additionally, his research explores the use of bedside physiological data to predict outcomes and support clinical decision-making in the neonatal intensive care unit.

He also mentors medical and biomedical students, as well as residents and fellows who are working on research projects.

Dr. Abu Jawdeh has delivered international, national, and regional invited lectures, contributed to two books, and published numerous original research articles related to his areas of expertise.

He is a Fellow of the Society for Pediatric Research and a Board Member of the American Association of SIDS Prevention Physicians. He sits on the research advisory council for the American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ subcommittee on Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). He is also a member of both the American Academy of Pediatrics, including its Section on Perinatal Pediatrics, and the Lebanese Order of Physicians.