Meet Dr. Yvette R. Johnson

I was called to medicine by a passion to serve those in need, particularly the most vulnerable among us.

My interests outside of medicine include caring for my two children, spending time with family and friends, as well as participating in community Arts events, reading, and traveling.

Along with my clinical responsibilities caring for high-risk newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit, I have a particular interest in neonatal outcomes and developmental follow-up. My current role at Cook Children's Hospital is to serve as the Medical Director of the newly formed NICU graduate developmental follow-up program called the N.E.S.T. developmental follow-up Center.

Services

  • Neonatal intensive care
  • Neurodevelopmental assessments

Publications

Publications: (last 6 years)
  1. Keene S, Grover TR, Murthy K, Pallotto EK, Brozanski B, Glen J, Zaniletti I, Johnson YR, Seabrook RB, Porta NFM, Haberman B, DiGeronimo R, Rintoul N. Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium's (CHNC) Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Focus Group. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and bloodstream infection in congenital diaphragmatic hernia. J Perinatology 2019; 39: 1384-1391.
  2. Gong A, Johnson YR, Livingston J, et al. Newborn Intensive Care Survivors: a review and a plan for collaboration in Texas. Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Maternal Health Neonatal Perinatal. 2019.
  3. Shandley, S, Capilouto G, Tamilia E, Riley D, Johnson YR, Papadelis C. Suckling as a Guide to Repair Brain Injury. Frontiers Pediatrics 2020.
  4. Mark F Weems, MD1 Theresa R Grover, MD2, Ruth Seabrook, MD3, Robert DiGeronimo, MD4, Jason Gien, MD2 Sarah Keene, MD5, Natalie Rintoul, MD6, John M Daniel, MD7, Yvette Johnson, MD8, Yigit Guner, MD9; Isabella Zaniletti, PhD10, Karna Murthy, MD, MSc11, and the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Focus Group. Analgesia, Sedation, and Neuromuscular Blockade in Infants with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia are Associated with Adverse Outcomes, American Journal of Perinatology 2021.
  5. Ruth Seabrook, Theresa Grover, Natalie Rintoul, Mark Weems, Sarah Keene, Beverly Brozanski, Robert DiGeronimo, Beth Haberman, Holly Hedrick, Jason Gien, Noorjahan Ali, Rachel Chapman, John Daniel, Allen Harrison, Yvette Johnson, Nicolas Porta, Michael Uhing, Isabella Zaniletti, and Karna Murthy. "Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension During Initial Hospitalization in a Multicenter Cohort of Infants with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)". Journal of Perinatology 2021.
  6. Shandley S, Capilouto G, Tamilia E, Riley DM, Johnson YR, Papadelis C. Abnormal Nutritive Sucking as an Indicator of Neonatal Brain Injury. Front Pediatr. 2021 Jan 12; 8: 599633.
  7. Peeples ES, Rao R, Dizon MLV, Johnson YR, Joe P, Flibotte J, Hossain T, Smith D, Hamrick S, DiGeronimo R, Natarajan G, Lee KS, Yanowitz TD, Mietzsch U, Wu TW, Maitre NL, Pallotto EK, Speziale M, Mathur AM, Zaniletti I, Massaro A; Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Focus Group. Predictive Models of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes after Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy. Pediatrics. 2021 Feb; 147(2).
  8. Song Y, Renoul E, Acord S, Johnson YR, Marks W, Alexandrakis G, Papadelis C. Aberrant somatosensory phase synchronization in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Neurosci Lett. 2021; 25: 762: 136169.doi.
  9. Shandley S, Capilouto G, Tamilia E, Riley DM, Johnson YR, Papadelis C. Abnormal Nutritive Sucking as an Indicator of Neonatal Brain Injury. Front Pediatr. 2021 Jan 12; 8:599633. doi: 10.3389/fped.2020.599633. eCollection 2020.PMID: 33511093
  10. Cardona VQ, Rao R, Zaniletti, Joe P, Johnson YR, DiGeronimo R, Hamrick SE, Lee KS, Mietzsch U, Natarajan G, Peeples E, Wu TW, Hossain T, Filbotte J, Chandel A, Distler A, Shenberger J, Oghifobibi O, Massaro AN, Dizon MLV, CHNC HIE Focus group. Association of Hospital Resource Utilization With Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy. Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1; 6(3): e233770. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.3770.PMID: 36943267
  11. Johnson YR, Guillory C, Imaizumi S. Healthcare Disparities in High Risk Neonates. Clinics in Perinatology 2023; 50: 67-80.
  12. Bourque SL, Machut K, Chuo J, Cohen S, Johnson YR, Nanda SH, Parsons K, Ponzek R. Discharge Best Practices of High-Risk Infants from Regional Children's Hospital NICUs. Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium Transitions of Care and Follow-up Focus Group. Hosp Pediatr. 2023 Aug 1; 13(8):716-724. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2022-007063.PMID: 37395085.
  13. Roy SM, Trejo A, McReynolds J, Fagerman A, Johnson YR, Neblett A, Shaheed K, Taylor K. "High Rates of Dysphagia and Silent Aspiration in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome" . American Journal of Medical Genetics Pat A 2025; 0:e64121.
Abstracts:
  1. Johnson YR, Barber K, Grady R, Rogers TL, Sapit CL, O'Hara B, Ross H. Implementation of Early Cerebral Palsy Detection Guidelines: A Quaternary Care NICU Experience. Cerebral Palsy Annual Meeting 2020, Columbus, OH. (Poster Presentation)
  2. Johnson YR, Rogers TL, Sapit CL, Barber K, Grady R, O'Hara B, Hilliard H, Rustom G, Mistry N, Lee M, Hamby T. Early Cerebral Palsy Detection Program Update 2022: A Quaternary Care NICU Experience. Cerebral Palsy Annual Meeting 2022, Atlanta, GA. (Poster Presentation) and CHNC 2022 Annual Meeting (Poster Symposium).
  3. Cardona VQ, Chandler A, Distler A, DiGeronimo R, Flibotte J, Hamrick SE, Hossain T, Joe P, Johnson Y, Lee KS, Mietzsch U, Natarajan G, Peeples E, Shenberger S, Wu TW, Zaniletti I, Massaro A, Rao R, Dizon M. Is Increased Resource Utilization Associated with Improved Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy? A Report from the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium HIE Focus Group. CHNC 2022 Annual meeting, Atlanta, GA. Poster Presentation.
  4. Bourque SL, Machut KZ, Chuo J, Cohen S, Johnson Y, Nanda SH, Rubinos LH, Ponsek R. Establishing Potential Best Practices for Discharge from Regional Children's Hospital NICUs: A Modified Delphi Study. . CHNC 2022 Annual meeting, Atlanta, GA. Poster Presentation.
  5. Roy SM, Trejo A, McReynolds J, Fagerman A, Johnson YR, Neblett A, Shaheed K, Taylor K. "High Rates of Dysphagia and Silent Aspiration in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome" for presentation at the FPWR Research Symposium held in Atlanta, GA on September 25th – 26th.
  6. Berryman L, Shah H, Shandley S, Harrell K, Tullos H, French E, Johnson YR. Utilization of a Home NG Program to Decrease Length of Stay at a Level IV NICU. Poster presentation at the 2025 Children's Hospital Neonatal Consortium (CHNC) annual meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii.
  7. Askari M , Crandall A, Lumeng J, Shandley S, Riley DM, Johnson Y, Ntoumanis I, Papadelis C. Quantitative Assessment of Nutritive Sucking in Infants with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy. Poster presentation at the AACPDM 2025 Annual meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Book Chapters:
  1. Manual of Neonatal Care 7th Edition 2012: "Multiple Births" Editors: John P. Cloherty, Eric Eichenwald, Anne R Hansen, and Ann R Stark.
  2. Johnson YR, Guillory C, Imaizumi S. Clinics in Perinatology March 2023: Neurological and Developmental Outcomes of High-Risk Neonates. "Health Care Disparities in High-Risk Neonates". Editors: Maitre NNL, Duncan AF. Clin Perinatol. 2023 Mar; 50(1):67-80. doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2022.11.008

Endowed Chair Recipient

Research: NEST Developmental Follow-up Clinic Early Cerebral Palsy (CP) Detection and Intervention Program

Dr. Johnson will expand access to early CP detection for all children in our region. This program also will help increase participation in clinical research and quality improvement initiatives across local and national collaborative clinical research projects. Engaging most level 3 and level 4 NICUs across North Texas in early CP detection would strengthen this internationally recognized and evidence-based clinical practice as the standard of care.

Explore program

Education

  • Medical school:
  • Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
  • Residency:
  • Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, and St. Louis Children's Hospital
  • Fellowship:
  • Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, and St. Louis Children's Hospital
  • Board certifications:
  • Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics
  • Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, American Board of Pediatrics

Affiliations

  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn
  • Texas Pediatric Society, Fetus and Newborn Committee
  • CHND Children's Hospital Neonatal Database
  • Neonatal Outcomes Network (NEON) Texas Statewide Follow-up Collaborative (Member of the Executive committee)
  • Cerebral Palsy Research Network (CPRN)
  • AAP SONPM Follow-up Task Force Member

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