Koryse Woodrooffe, Neonatologist
St. Lukes at Grand View - CHOP NICU (Sellersville, PA)
Nominated by Tara Argue

"I nominate Dr. Woodrooffe of GVH CHOP’s NICU for the #OWLGive Award. Dr. Woodrooffe was our daughter’s neonatologist when she was born at 34 weeks. She has such a calm, loving, caring, and compassionate demeanor that put my mama heart at ease, knowing my daughter would be cared for and loved.

Dr. Woodrooffe always made sure my husband and I were part of our daughter’s medical team, ensured we understood the plan, and truly listened to our concerns. She would often sit down beside me and say, “Talk to me, Mama,” which showed just how much she cared and how she never discredited my worries. I have never met another doctor who so completely listened and validated what I was saying. We knew our daughter was in the best of hands.

With preemie life, things change daily—sometimes it’s one step forward, two steps back. Dr. Woodrooffe was always thorough in explaining each change and advocating when our daughter needed it. When my daughter was 10 days old, her heart rate skyrocketed over 300, and she began experiencing apnea events. I saw nurses quickly respond and overheard another doctor calling Dr. Woodrooffe at 1:45 a.m. Before long, she was in my room explaining that our daughter was on a ventilator, needed a higher-level NICU, and would require a cardiology team. I knew she needed to be transported to a cardiac ICU, but I also feared losing Dr. Woodrooffe from her care team.

As our daughter was transported to another hospital, Dr. Woodrooffe stayed by our side the entire way—giving us updates from the cardiologist, explaining where she was going, and embracing me when it all became too overwhelming. She even visited us and our daughter the next day in the Cardiac ICU at a different hospital 40 miles away.”