Dr. Rune Toms is the System Chief of Neonatal and Perinatal Services for Nicklaus Children’s Health System.
A triple board-certified neonatologist and pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Toms leads our systemwide efforts to advance neonatal and perinatal care for infants with complex medical and surgical needs. He oversees collaborations with maternal-fetal medicine specialists, obstetricians, and community partners to support families from prenatal diagnosis through the newborn period to their transition to pediatric care.
Nicklaus Children’s offers one of the region’s most comprehensive and collaborative neonatal programs, with care extending from our Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) to community hospitals across South Florida.
Under Dr. Toms’ leadership, our teams continue to establish best practices, enhance quality and safety, and ensure seamless, family-centered care for preterm, medically fragile and surgically complex newborns. He will work closely with our neonatologists across the system to support program development, enhance collaboration, and ensure that each team is empowered to continue delivering exceptional care within their respective hospitals.
Before joining Nicklaus Children’s, Dr. Toms served as National Medical Director for Women’s and Children’s Services at Envision Healthcare, overseeing outcomes and operations for more than 60 NICUs and 400 physicians nationwide. He has also held leadership roles as Chief of Neonatology at HCA Florida University Hospital and Regional Medical Director for seven NICUs in South Florida, where he spearheaded initiatives to reduce infant mortality and improve outcomes for complex neonatal and cardiac patients. Earlier in his career, Dr. Toms was on the medical staff of the University of Alabama Children’s Hospital for more than 12 years, where he held various leadership roles, including as Medical Director of the NICU. During his tenure at UAB, Dr. Toms was responsible for building the neonatal cardiac ICU program and led collaborations between the NICU, pediatric CICU and pediatric cardiology departments.
Dr. Toms co-founded The Incubator Podcast in 2021, an educational resource for the neonatology community that provides accessible insights into rapidly evolving evidence-based practices. The podcast is available in various languages and reaches 170 countries.
Dr. Toms, originally from Norway, earned his medical degree from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, completed residency and fellowship training in pediatrics, neonatology, and pediatric cardiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Quality and Safety from the same institution. He pursued advanced training with a pediatric cardiac intensive care senior fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Toms is board certified in general pediatrics, pediatric cardiology, neonatal-perinatal medicine and also possesses a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.