Mahmoud Kheirbek, MD

Provider is directly employed by MedStar Health

Mahmoud Kheirbek, MD, is Chairman of the Neonatology/Pediatrics Department at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and is affiliated with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Kheirbek specializes in neonatology and is double board-certified in neonatal-perinatal medicine and pediatrics. He holds professional memberships with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the DC Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. Throughout his career, Dr. Kheirbek has received several awards, including Nurses’ Choice for the 50th Anniversary of MedStar Washington Hospital Center Collaboration Award with Nursing Staff and Resident of the Year at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center.

Dr. Kheirbek works with high-risk pregnancies and premature babies to provide state-of-the-art, comprehensive care to mothers and children. At MedStar Health, he and his department treat the largest number of premature and extreme premature babies in the district. He treats babies for a variety of diseases including respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal jaundice, neonatal sepsis, and issues around feeding and nutritional support. In addition, he specializes in stabilizing and caring for babies that are born with congenital heart disease.

In the future, Dr. Kheirbek is excited to continue developing programs that optimize the nutritional support of newborns. He hopes to bring in more mothers exclusively for breastfeeding and/or use donor breast milk. His department is also instituting CMV screening in babies that fail hearing tests. Additionally, they are in the implementation phase of an IVH prevention protocol in small babies. Dr. Kheirbek believes that fetal surgery for diseases such as spinal myelomeningocele and urologic problems is a promising trend that is showing improvements in outcomes nationwide.

Dr. Kheirbek first discovered his passion for newborns while obtaining his medical degree at Damascus University in Syria. He completed a residency at Children’s Hospital in Damascus prior to his residency at Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke’s. In 1990, he completed a fellowship program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and has been working there ever since.  

Philosophy of care
“I love babies and treat every newborn that is in my care as if they were my own. My approach is to equip families with evidence-based information so that they are empowered to make the best decision for their child. When I meet with families, I take the time to educate them about their baby’s condition and all their possible treatment options. I am always honest and transparent about what can be done for the child; if I believe they would be better served in another location or facility, I will not hesitate to say so because my priority is the best interest of the baby. I know that every family is different, and their value system and personal wishes will always be taken into consideration when developing a treatment plan for their child.”