Fellow of Neonatology
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Rafael Gutiérrez, MD is a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, training in the Division of Newborn Medicine at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He began his academic journey at Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Biostatistics. While at Loyola, he gained early research experience in cancer biology, contributing to projects on acute myeloid leukemia that resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications. He went on to complete his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where he was active in the Latino Medical Student Association and the Medicina Scholars program, developing science curricula for high school students from underserved communities.
Dr. Gutiérrez completed his pediatric residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin/Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where he further honed his interests in neonatal neurocritical care and quality improvement. During residency, he worked on initiatives to reduce resource utilization drift in the treatment of infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Building on this foundation, he pursued fellowship training in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is supported by an NIH-funded Physician Scientist Training Grant (NICHD T32). His current research, mentored by Dr. Rodney Newberry and Dr. Ellen Schill, investigates the effects of early-life antibiotic exposure on intestinal homeostasis using neonatal murine models. His work has been presented at national and international meetings and published in leading journals, including Nature Microbiology.
Fluent in both English and Spanish, Dr. Gutiérrez is committed to advancing equity in medicine, supporting families navigating complex care, and promoting culturally sensitive approaches to neonatology and palliative care. He envisions a career in academic medicine that integrates clinical practice, translational research, and mentorship to improve outcomes for infants and families facing critical illness.