Richard R. Telesco, MD

  • Clinical Director, Newborn Intensive Care Unit UPMC Hamot
  • Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Telesco is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Associate Clinical Director for the NICU at Magee-Women’s Hospital at UPMC Hamot.

Telesco received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the State University of New York College of Geneseo and his Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine in 2000. He went on to complete his internship and residency in Pediatrics from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA, followed by a fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal medicine from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD.

Telesco has been a practicing neonatologist with UPMC since 2007.  From 2007-2014 his focus was on academic newborn medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he chaired the program for induced hypothermia for neuroprotection. The program was established to provide “Cooling” to improve developmental outcomes of infants who suffered a hypoxic injury around the time of birth. Since leaving Children’s, Telesco has been practicing community based neonatology and serves as the Associate Clinic Director for the NICU at UPMC Hamot in Erie, PA. 

Education & Training

  • BA, Chemistry and Mathematics, State University of New York College at Geneseo, 1996
  • MD, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicin, 2000
  • Internship in Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2001
  • Residency in Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003
  • Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Systems

Selected Publications

Balsan M.J MD, Burns, J RN, Kimcock, F PhD, Under, A MD, Telesco, R MD et al, A pilot study to assess the safety, efficacy and ease of use of a novel hearing protection device for hospitalized neonates: Early Human Development, Volume 156, May 2021, 105365

Balsan M.J MD, Burns, J RN, Kimcock, F PhD, Under, A MD, Telesco, R MD et al, Evaluation of a Novel Hearing Protection Device in the NICU: Submitted for publication to Journal of Perinatology June 5 2018 

An N. Massaro MD, Karna Murthy MD MSc, Isabella Zaniletti PhD, Noah Cook MD MTR, Robert DiGeronimo MD, Maria Dizon MD, Shannon E.G. Hamrick MD, Victor J McKay MD, Girijia Natarajan MD, Rakesh Rao MD, Danielle Smith MD, Richard Telesco MD, Rajan Wadhawan MD, Jeanette M Asselin RRT MS, David J Durand MD, Jacquelyn R Evans MD, Francine Dykes MD, Kristina M Reber MD, Michael A Padula MD MBI, Eugenia K Pallotto MD MSCE, Billie Lou Short MD, Amit M. Mathur MD; Short-Term Outcomes for Infants with Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy:  A Report from the CHND by the Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium HIE Focus Group Journal of Perinatology, Nov 13, 2014

Rawad Obeid MD, Monica Naik MD, Michael J Painter MD, Richard Telesco MD, Yoshimi Sogawa, Satyanarayana Gedela, Jessica Wisnowiski PhD, Ashok Panigrahy MD The application of conventional EEG as a prognostic tool in infants born with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and undergoing hypothermia. Submitted June 11, 2014 Abstract presented at American Epilepsy Society Conference

Telesco R, Hussey-Gardner B:  Validation of the Best Beginnings Developmental Screen (BBDS) with Perinatally Drug Exposed Infants.  Presented at the Mead Johnson Nutritionals 67th Perinatal & Developmental Medicine Symposium, Marco Island Marriot Hotel, Marco Island Florida , November 17-20, 2005.

Hopkins M, Bamford P, Telesco R, McKenna M:  Alterations in Brain Metabolism After Intrauterine Inflammation.  Presented at the Society for Neuroscience 35th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, November 12-16, 2005.

Academic and Research Interests

  • Neonatology
  • Newborn Medicine