Heike Rabe

Professor Dr. Heike Rabe is Professor of Perinatal Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and Honorary Consultant Neonatologist at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, where she also serves as Director for Research & Innovation – Child Health. Based in Brighton, United Kingdom, she has a longstanding academic and clinical interest in neonatal medicine.

Her research focuses on neonatal brain development, haematology, oxygen transport, and microcirculation, with a particular emphasis on the role of cord management strategies in improving outcomes for preterm infants. She is actively involved in clinical studies investigating the benefits of delayed cord clamping and the use of non-invasive technologies in neonatal care.

Professor Rabe is a partner in the European Union–funded H2020-RISEinFAMILY consortium (www.riseinfamily.eu), which aims to implement Family Integrated Care models across neonatal units in eight countries. Her involvement reflects a broader interest in care practices that support parental engagement and family-centred approaches in the neonatal intensive care setting.

She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK) and has held several leadership roles within professional organisations. These include serving as Vice President of the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) and as a founding board member of the European School of Neonatology. She is also an active member of multiple national and international scientific societies focused on perinatal and neonatal health.In recognition of her contributions to the field, she has been granted honorary memberships by the American Pediatric Society and the Romanian Society of Fetal and Neonatal Medicine.

Professor Rabe continues to contribute to clinical practice, research, and education in perinatal medicine, with the goal of advancing evidence-based care for newborns, particularly those born preterm.