About

Robert A. Berg, M.D., is a Professor and the Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is affiliated with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and specializes in anesthesiology and critical care medicine, with a focus on pediatric critical care. Dr. Berg's educational background includes a B.S. in Literature, Science, and Arts from the University of Michigan and an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. His professional contributions are centered on pediatric critical care, with research involving pediatric sepsis, cardiac arrest, brain injury, and the use of machine learning for neurological outcome prediction. Dr. Berg has authored numerous publications in these areas and is actively involved in advancing clinical practices and research in pediatric critical care medicine.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Anesthesia
• Cardiology
• Humanities
• Political Science
• Art
• Law
• Gerontology
• Surgery
• Biology

Selected publications

• 336: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CARDIAC ARREST AND NON-ARREST CASES IN THE NEAR4KIDS REGISTRY

  Critical Care Medicine · 2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• CHAPTER 9 Copper- versus Stone-Tipped Dart Relative Functional Efficiency

  Berghahn Books · 2025-06-14

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Abstract Sat1207: The physiologic response to sequential epinephrine administration during CPR is as associated with survival in a pediatric cardiac arrest model

  Circulation · 2025-11-03

  article

  Background: Animal and recent clinical studies have identified differences in the hemodynamic response to epinephrine between survivors and non-survivors. We aimed to evaluate how sequential epinephrine responses during CPR relate to survival outcomes in an animal model of cardiac arrest with standard chest compression depth. Hypothesis: Hemodynamic responses to sequential epinephrine doses during CPR change over time and are associated with ROSC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed hemodynamic data acquired in pediatric swine models ( Sus scrofa , 9-13kg) of asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest treated with CPR (n=69). Epinephrine (0.02mg/kg) was administered every 3-4min starting 2 minutes into CPR. Defibrillation was attempted after 10 or 15min of CPR based off the cohort. Manual or mechanical chest compressions were performed at a set depth and rate throughout CPR. Median and interquartile ranges were calculated for diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), end-tidal CO 2 (ETCO 2 ), pulse pressure (SBP-DBP), and right atrium pressure (RaP) for each 15-second epoch and the change between pre-epinephrine values and each 15-second value for the 3m post-epinephrine were determined. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used for sequential Epi dose to compare survivors and non-survivors at each epoch. Trends across Epi doses within both groups were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test with Bonferroni correction. Results: Sixty-nine animals (survivor 42, non-survivor 27) were included. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Comparisons between survivors and non-survivors for the first 3 Epi doses are show in in Figure 1. During the evaluation period, non-survivors had progressively diminished responses to Epi as noted by lower delta DBP and SBP. RaP showed no significant change. Non-survivors exhibited progressive decline in median pulse pressure with each subsequent dose (Figure 2), whereas survivors maintained stable pulse pressure with no significant change between the first and the third doses. Discussion: In an animal model of asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest, the response to successive epinephrine administration diverge between survivors and non-survivors. Although the two groups have comparable responses to the first Epi dose, non-survivors have lower blood pressures and a decreased response to subsequent Epi doses. Future studies should explore alternative resuscitation strategies for animals based off Epi responsiveness.

  PublisherDOI

• Severe intracranial hemorrhage or ischemia associated with unfavorable outcomes after pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest

  Resuscitation · 2025-11-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of coronary perfusion pressure and diastolic blood pressure calculation methods in a swine model of pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation

  Resuscitation Plus · 2025-03-14 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Measurement of coronary perfusion pressure (CoPP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is important for titration of physiologic-directed CPR. However, agreement between different calculation methods and their relative performance as outcome discriminators are not well established. Four calculation methods, differentiated by sampling technique, were retrospectively applied to pressure waveforms from piglet CPR: late diastole (CoPP 65 , DBP 65 ), mid-diastole (CoPP 50 , DBP 50 ), diastolic minimum (CoPP min , DBP min ), and diastolic mean (CoPP mean , DBP mean ). Intermethod agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman analysis and Cohen’s kappa statistic. Logistic regression was used to evaluate performance in discriminating return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and to identify optimal thresholds. Relative to CoPP 65 , measurements by CoPP 50 , CoPP min , and CoPP mean were within 5 mmHg limits of agreement (LOA) in 97%, 64%, and 99% of instances with kappa 0.88, 0.76, and 0.91, respectively. Relative to DBP 65 , measurements by DBP 50 , DBP min , and DBP mean were within 5 mmHg LOA in 98%, 71%, and 99% of instances with kappa 0.90, 0.80, and 0.91, respectively. The areas under the ROC curves (AUC) for CoPP 65 , CoPP 50 , CoPP min , and CoPP mean were 0.777, 0.792, 0.787, and 0.788, and optimal thresholds to discriminate ROSC were 15.3, 15.8, 12.3, and 14.7 mmHg, respectively. The AUCs for DBP 65 , DBP 50 , DBP min , and DBP mean were 0.813, 0.827, 0.833, and 0.826, and optimal thresholds to discriminate ROSC were 28.6, 27.3, 26.2, and 29.7 mmHg, respectively. During piglet CPR, measurements by late diastole, mid-diastole, and diastolic mean strongly agreed, whereas those at diastolic minimum were more discrepant. All methods performed similarly in discrimination of ROSC.

  PublisherDOI

• 1520: EVALUATION OF CORONARY PERFUSION PRESSURE CALCULATION METHODS DURING CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION

  Critical Care Medicine · 2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Design of cross-reactive antigens with machine learning and high-throughput experimental evaluation

  Frontiers in Bioinformatics · 2025-07-16

  articleOpen access

  Selecting an optimal antigen is a crucial step in vaccine development, significantly influencing both the vaccine’s effectiveness and the breadth of protection it provides. High antigen sequence variability, as seen in pathogens like rhinovirus, HIV, influenza virus, complicates the design of a single cross-protective antigen. Consequently, vaccination with a single antigen molecule often confers protection against only a single variant. In this study, machine learning methods were applied to the design of factor H binding protein (fHbp), an antigen from the bacterial pathogen Neisseria meningitidis . The vast number of potential antigen mutants presents a significant challenge for improving fHbp antigenicity. Moreover, limited data on antigen-antibody binding in public databases constrains the training of machine learning models. To address these challenges, we used computational models to predict fHbp properties and machine learning was applied to select both the most promising and informative mutants using a Gaussian process (GP) model. These mutants were experimentally evaluated to both confirm promising leads and refine the machine learning model for future iterations. In our current model, mutants were designed that enabled the transfer of fHbp v1.1 specific conformational epitopes onto fHbp v3.28, while maintaining binding to overlapping cross-reactive epitopes. The top mutant identified underwent biophysical and x-ray crystallographic characterization to confirm that the overall structure of fHbp was maintained throughout this epitope engineering experiment. The integrated strategy presented here could form the basis of a next-generation, iterative antigen design platform, potentially accelerating the development of new broadly protective vaccines.

  PublisherDOI

• P15.17.A END-OF-LIFE CHALLENGES IN NEURO-ONCOLOGICAL PATIENT CARE: A YOUNGNOA SURVEY

  Neuro-Oncology · 2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract BACKGROUND Malignant brain tumors inevitably recur, leading to progressive neurological decline. Palliative care is essential for optimizing patient outcomes, yet its integration into neuro-oncology remains inconsistent. We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate palliative care practices among German neuro-oncologists and assessed the impact of physicians’ comfort on end-of-life discussions in patient care. MATERIAL AND METHODS A nationwide, anonymous survey was distributed to 481 neuro-oncologists who are members of the Neuro-oncology Working Group of the German Cancer Society. The questionnaire, developed in collaboration with board-certified palliative care specialists, evaluated physicians’ demographic characteristics, palliative care knowledge, and access to palliative care resources. RESULTS Of 92 respondents, 81 (88%) reported comfort in discussing end-of-life issues, while 11 (12%) expressed discomfort. Physicians comfortable with these discussions more frequently addressed withholding of life-sustaining interventions (88% versus 55%, p=0.011), arranged home care (81% versus 64%, p=0.019), and facilitated hospice placement (68% versus 36%, p=0.021). They also initiated these conversations earlier and observed greater patient receptivity to palliative care (p=0.049). These associations remained significant in multivariable logistic regression. CONCLUSION While most neuro-oncologists report comfort with end-of-life discussions, this comfort strongly influences timing and extent of palliative care integration. Our findings highlight the need for structured palliative care training to ensure timely and effective discussions, ultimately improving care for neuro-oncological patients.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 2022 Interim Guidance to Health Care Providers for Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support in Adults, Children, and Neonates With Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19: From the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee and Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation Adult and Pediatric Task Forces of the American Heart Association in Collaboration With the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for Respiratory Care, the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists, and American Society of Anesthesiologists

  UNC Libraries · 2025-04-17

  articleOpen access

  The American Heart Association, along with its collaborating organizations American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for Respiratory Care, American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists, is committed to providing the most up-to-date evidence-based guidelines on resuscitation and supporting the health care providers that provide these interventions. At times, there is a need for an interim statement based on new data or, in the case of this pandemic, a rapidly changing environment. Interim guidance may arise from a scientific review of a single topic, or the need for a best-practice statement because of new or urgent public health initiatives. Based on evolving epidemiological reports, emergence of new and more transmissible strains of the coronavirus, declining vaccine effectiveness, as well as recent feedback from the health care provider community, it became clear that the guidance developed in the spring of 2021 and published in October 2021 needed to be updated to emphasize fully protecting health care providers who perform resuscitation. Our overall guiding principles and goals in providing this interim guidance are to achieve the best possible resuscitation outcomes and simultaneously ensure optimal protection for health care providers. Language has been clarified in this updated interim guidance to adhere to this guiding principle. Interim guidance will continue to evolve as the pandemic continues to ensure our guidance reflects the best, most up-to-date science and available evidence to guide best practices.

  PublisherDOI

• Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation: Acknowledging Progress and Emerging Challenges

  Critical Care Clinics · 2025-09-22

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Pediatric Critical Care Research Network at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  NIH · $1.7M · 2009–2020

• NIH Grant R01HL071694

  NIH · $1.4M · 2008

• NIH Grant U10HD063108

  NIH · $1.4M · 2014

• Validation of Physiologic CPR Quality Using NOn-inVasive Waveform Analytics (CPR-NOVA)

  NIH · $846k · 2019–2022

• Validation of Physiologic CPR Quality Using NOn-inVasive Waveform Analytics (CPR-NOVA)

  NIH · $398k · 2019–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Vinay Nadkarni

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  1388 shared

• Robert M. Sutton

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  568 shared

• Kathleen L. Meert

  487 shared

• Alexis A. Topjian

  471 shared

• Joseph A. Carcillo

  University of Pittsburgh

  462 shared

• Ryan W. Morgan

  University of Pennsylvania

  440 shared

• Andrew R. Yates

  Nationwide Children's Hospital

  317 shared

• Ron Reeder

  University of Utah

  313 shared

Labs

• Robert A Berg LabPI