Meet our Neonatologists and Nurse Practitioners
Meet Our Neonatologists
Scott A. Snyder, MD
NICU Medical Director
Dr. Snyder received his MD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in 1998. He completed his pediatric residency and neonatology fellowship at the University of New Mexico Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of New Mexico. Prior to joining St. Luke's, Dr. Snyder demonstrated his commitment to children in a variety of ways, from performing psychiatric history and physical exams to providing care to critically ill and fragile infants in the University of New Mexico NICU.
Ronald W. Coen, MD
Dr. Coen brings many years of specialized medical experience to St. Luke's NICU. He received his MD from The Ohio State University in 1963, and completed a pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequently, he completed a neonatal fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. He was Director of Neonatology at the University of New Mexico, and later at the University of California, San Diego. Prior to coming to St. Luke’s, he served as Director of the NICU at the Great Falls, Montana hospital. He is the author of numerous papers and a book on care of the newborn. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Academic Society. Decades of involvement with government and private organizations demonstrate his commitment to improving the health of our tiniest patients.
Charlene Crichton, MD
Dr. Crichton received her MD from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha in 1997. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, and a neonatology fellowship at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. Dr. Crichton's experience includes an assistant professorship at Oregon Health Sciences University, research, and extensive community and university committee activities. Her many awards and academic honors demonstrate her dedication to pediatric and neonatal medicine.
Nick Harper, MD
Dr. Harper’s distinguished career includes serving as NICU medical director for Utah’s Ogden Medical Center and Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, an NICU that he initiated – and watched grow to a 40-bed unit. He instituted North Texas’s first neonatal “ECMO,” bringing this advanced life-saving technology to babies whose condition is so critical that ventilator care is not sufficient. Dr. Harper completed his neonatal-perinatal fellowship at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Board certified in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine, Dr. Harper brings exceptional skills and experience to caring for our NICU patients.
Erik N. Meyers, MD
Dr. Meyers has dedicated his career to children. He earned his MD from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Her performed his pediatrics residency training and neonatology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, where he also served as clinical instructor. He was an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University, and performed independent research in the causes and genetic signals involved in congenital malformations with primary focus on the development of congenital heart defects and neural tube defects. He is board certified in pediatrics and neonatology, and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Developmental Biology, and is a Fellow of the Society for Pediatric Research.
Declan O'Riordan, MD
Dr. O'Riordan received his MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville in May 1997. He completed his pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2000, where he subsequently completed a neonatology fellowship. In addition to neonatology, Dr. O’Riordan has experience in pediatric emergency medicine and general pediatrics. His research interests include neonatal herpes simplex virus infections, perinatal brain injury, and intrauterine methamphetamine exposure. His education and previous experience at Johns Hopkins and other hospitals make him a very valuable member of the Neonatology team.
Lyn Peterson, MD
After receiving her medical degree from the University of Hawaii School of Medicine in 1983, Dr. Peterson completed her pediatric residency at University of Utah-affiliated hospitals, and her neonatology fellowship at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Her extensive experience in neonatal medicine provides the infants in St. Luke's NICU with the specialized care needed for optimal growth and development.
James W. VanLooy Jr., MD
Dr. VanLooy has dedicated his career to children. After earning his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, he completed his residency in pediatrics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and his fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is board certified in pediatrics and is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics. His research includes the use of pre-medication prior to intubation in neonates.
Pawel Zieba, MD
Dr. Zieba has come a long way to practice medicine at St. Luke's NICU. He received a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the Akademia Medyczna w. Warszawie in Warszawa, Poland in 1988. He completed his pediatric internship and residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Subsequently, he completed neonatal-perinatal fellowship at the Children's Hospital Medical Center/University of Cincinnati, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His research interest involved work on surfactant and gene therapy. Dr Zieba practiced neonatology at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona and in Great Falls, Montana. Now at St. Luke’s, his exceptional teaching and clinical skills are helping to save the lives of babies in our region. Dr. Zieba is a member of the board of the Idaho Perinatal Project, an organization dedicated to reducing infant morbidity and mortality and to improving pregnancy outcomes throughout Idaho.
Meet Our Nurse Practitioners
Cheri Beaumont, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
Clinical Supervisor, Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
Cheri’s dedicated journey as a neonatal nurse practitioner has taken her through a variety of nursing responsibilities, all of which have centered around the care of infants with special needs. After 14 years as an NICU staff nurse and three additional years of education and internship, Cheri received master’s degrees as an early intervention specialist and neonatal nurse practitioner in 1995. As a nurse Practitioner, Cheri works at St. Luke’s NICU to help sick and premature babies recover, grow and develop, so they can reach their optimum potential.
Tammy Allen, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
Tammy has cared for infants during all of her career, serving at both St. Luke’s Boise and Magic Valley medical centers. She earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Utah in Salt Lake and her masters degree from the advanced practice neonatal nurse practitioner program at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She has served as a clinical educator and is NCC-certified in neonatal intensive care. She is an instructor for the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), STABLE (post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick newborns), and the STABLE cardiac module.
Melissa Beckler, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
Melissa has been dedicated to her work as an NICU staff nurse since 2001, but began her nursing career in 1999 working with adults and children infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. She earned her post-masters certificate from the neonatal nurse practitioner program at the University of Rochester School of Nursing in Rochester, New York, and her masters degree in nursing from the pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Virginia School of Nursing in Charlottesville. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing and bachelor of arts in psychology degrees from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.
Anthony Broderick, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
Since 1987 when he received an associate's degree in respiratory therapy, Anthony has been dedicated to caring. He received an associate degree in Nursing in 1995 and went on to earn his master's degree in nursing, neonatal nurse practitioner, in 2004. Prior to joining the NICU team at St. Luke's, Anthony cared for infants in the NICU at the Medical University of South Carolina and St. Francis Hospital. His background in nursing and respiratory therapy makes his skills particularly valuable.
Maria Cheatham, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
Maria has been working with critically ill infants in intensive care nurseries for more than 25 years. She completed her BSN at California State University, Hayward in 1982, and worked in intensive care nurseries in northern and southern California as an RN. In 1992, she moved to South Texas where she worked in several intensive care nurseries but primarily at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. She cared for infants in the NICU and served as NICU educator. Maria was extensively involved in education for the nursing staff and outreach education for surrounding hospitals. She completed her master’s degree in nursing, neonatal nurse practitioner, from the University of Texas, Medical Branch in Galveston in 1999, and joined St. Luke’s in 2001.
Susan Cheeseman, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
For more than 20 years, Susan has devoted her life to babies and their families. Her career spans clinical nursing in labor and delivery to NICU family care and neonatal transport. Her early career as a registered nurse formed the basis of practical knowledge that makes her such a valuable asset as a neonatal nurse practitioner in St. Luke’s NICU. Susan received her master’s degree, neonatal nurse practitioner, from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by eight years as a neonatal nurse practitioner at Christiana Care Health Services in Newark, Delaware. Her special skills, both clinical and educational, help babies and their parents meet the challenges presented by premature birth and critical illness.
LaResa Janousek, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
LaResa has cared for critically ill infants as an NICU nurse at St. Luke’s since her nursing career began in 1998. She earned her masters degree in advanced practice neonatal nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Boise State University. She has served as a member of the high-risk delivery and maternal/child transport teams and is a STABLE (post-resuscitation/pre-transport stabilization care of sick newborns) instructor.
Nora Suarez, RN, MSN, NNP-BC
Nora has worked as an NICU nurse since she earned her associate degree in nursing from Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon in 2001. She earned her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Boise State University and her masters of nursing degree from the University of Washington’s neonatal nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist program. Nora has dedicated her career to caring for infants, training at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, and Providence Everett Medical Center NICU in Everett, Washington, during graduate school.
