The Fetal Center at Vanderbilt
More fetal surgery and treatment experience. Top ranking for outcomes.
Parents and referring providers from across the nation turn to the Fetal Center at Vanderbilt when they have concerns for their unborn child. As a comprehensive fetal diagnosis, therapy and surgery center in Nashville, we are committed to providing mothers and babies with highly personalized and specialized care.
Our experienced team of maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal and pediatric surgery specialists care for expectant mothers and babies at risk for or born with congenital birth defects or abnormalities.
Conditions We Treat
- Abdominal mass
- Agenesis of the corpus callosum
- Amniotic bands/constriction rings
- Anhydramnios
Meet Your Care Team
Kelly A. BennettMD, MS
- Fetal Anomalies in Pregnancy, Gynecology, High Risk Pregnancy, Maternal Fetal Medicine (High Risk Pregnancy)
Stephane A. BraunMD
- Breast Reconstructive Surgery, Cleft Lip and Palate, Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida, Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Matthew R. GraceMD
- Diabetic Care in Pregnancy, Fetal Anomalies in Pregnancy, Gynecology, High Risk Pregnancy, Maternal Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy, Maternal Fetal Medicine (High Risk Pregnancy)
Why Choose the Fetal Center at Vanderbilt
- Collaborative care
We collaborate with your primary obstetricians by regularly sharing updates, images and test results. This means you receive coordinated, co-managed care close to home throughout your pregnancy. In rural areas, we can utilize telehealth to help you access services.
- Family-centered care
Your family is a significant part of the decision-making team. You'll receive a customized evaluation in a single setting – no traveling between sites to see different specialists on different days.
- Pioneers in fetal surgery
We have performed more than 300 fetal surgeries, giving us expertise unmatched by most fetal centers. Vanderbilt pioneered the fetal repair of myelomeningocele, a type of spina bifida, in 1997. Today we are known worldwide for this surgery.
- Expert intensive care
Depending on the diagnosis, it is possible newborn babies will be cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after delivery. Our NICU provides many services unavailable elsewhere in our region.
- Post-natal care
We help coordinate post-natal care for you and baby with appropriate specialists. Sometimes surgeries or additional procedures must be performed after delivery. We see you through the process and help you get to know Children’s Hospital. The same surgeons and specialists that care for newborns often take care of that child for years to come. We are the foundation of lifelong caregiver relationships.
- Innovative research
We are actively involved in multicenter research projects advancing the understanding and treatment of fetal congenital heart disease and fetal arrhythmias. This includes collaborative research projects through the Fetal Heart Society and the North American Fetal Therapy Network. We have ongoing research efforts working to optimize feeding and nutrition in newborns requiring heart surgery.
