The Tree of Life

Dr. Rebecca Baergen, chief of obstetrics & perinatal pathology at Weill Cornell Medicine is one of only a hundred or so pathologists across the country that focus on the placenta. In her decades-long work, Dr. Baergen has seen the organ gain importance and significance. Today, every placenta that's delivered at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is stored in a labor and delivery unit refrigerator for one week. This procedure, which Dr. Baergen implemented soon after arriving 18 years ago, ensures that any pregnancy-, birth- or newborn-related issue, can be properly investigated.