Regan Giesinger, MD, passed away from cancer in May of 2023 at the age of 42. In the five years she was working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), she built a world leading neonatal hemodynamics program which has led to further improvements in survival of extremely preterm babies and a reduction in major morbidities. Regan was an exceptional young clinician scientist, who at a very early stage of her career, achieved an international reputation for her groundbreaking work in the application of targeted neonatal echocardiography to enhance clinical care through providing enhanced diagnostic and mechanistic insights. Regan’s dedication to patients and their families was second to none. She was selfless and always willing to help her colleagues.
Regan was an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa and Director of the world-leading neonatal hemodynamics program.
She published many original studies that focused on the complex hemodynamic physiology and response of novel therapy of critically ill newborns. Her primary research work, which characterized the relationship between right ventricular dysfunction and neurodevelopmental outcomes in term neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, was precedent-setting and has laid the foundation for further investigation. Despite her young age, she published over 80 original contributions related to novel therapies in pulmonary hypertension and the use of nitric oxide in preterm infants.
In addition, Regan showed outstanding strengths, integrity, and leadership in education, training, and administrative roles, and represented the very best of academic medicine. She was a member of the Neonatal Hemodynamics Advisory at PAS and was one of the founding members of the Neonatal Hemodynamics and TNE specialty interest group (SIG) at the American Society of Echocardiography.
In 2021, Regan was appointed as Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE), only the second neonatologist to receive this accolade. She was also a member of the writing group to update the guidelines for TNE and cardiac POCUS.
Regan has left behind a powerful legacy. In teaching the importance of physiology and diagnostic precision in cardiovascular care, she has influenced a generation of trainees and young faculty.
