Josef Neu

Dr. Josef Neu, MD, did his medical school training at the University of Wisconsin, was a pediatric resident at Johns Hopkins and a postdoctoral neonatology fellow at Stanford University. He came to the University of Florida as an associate professor in 1984 to continue his research in developmental gastroenterology and neonatal biochemical nutrition. In 1987 he pursued additional research training at the University of Bern (Switzerland) on basic mechanisms affecting intracellular processing of lactase in the intestinal epithelium. He is internationally recognized for his research in developmental gastroenterology and nutrition and has most recently focused his research efforts on the intestinal microbiome and mucosal immunology. He has been NIH RO-1 funded to study the developing microbiome in babies at risk for developing necrotizing enterocolitis. This involves a multicenter evaluation of intestinal microbiota using novel non-culture based technologies. He is also evaluating the effects of the fetal microbiome as it relates to prematurity and evaluating the effects of antibiotics on the fecal microbiome and metabolome of preterm neonates.

Dr. Neu maintains an active interest in residency and fellowship training. He has served as director of the neonatology fellowship training program at UF since 1986 and on the Council for the Organization of Neonatal Training Program Directors (ONTPD) and served as National chairman of the ONTPD for 2 years. He is on the editorial board of 7 journals, has served on numerous NIH study sections and is also active in international education; as a member of International Postgraduate Organization for Knowledge Transfer Research and Teaching Excellent Students (IPOKRaTES), he has organized seminars in neonatal gastroenterology and nutrition innumerous countries. He is currently Chairman of the Board of the IPOKRaTES Foundation.

Dr. Neu has been involved in the direct mentorship of over 20 postdoctoral M.D. neonatology fellows, three pediatric gastroenterology fellow, approximately 15 visiting international scholars, 3 Ph.D. postdoctoral fellows, over 20 undergraduate independent study students (the majority of whom have gone on to medical, veterinary or graduate school in the sciences). He has also mentored 15 high school students in his laboratory.