MICHAEL BEBBINGTON, M.D.
For families once devastated by severe fetal diagnoses, a new world of diagnostic and surgical possibilities — travel elsewhere not required.
Years ago, Michael Bebbington, M.D., received a video of a former patient, Walker, running bases at his Little League game. Maybe standard childhood fare for many — but for Walker and his family, a near miracle: Walker was diagnosed before birth with spina bifida, and his ability to play baseball today is largely due to intervention from Bebbington’s team while Walker was still in utero.
From ‘Do or Die’ to Safer & Better
“Fetal surgery is still a relatively new discipline. At first, the whole approach to interventions was a ‘do or die’ scenario,” he says. “The problem had to be so severe that if we didn’t do something, the fetus would die. Now, we’re not only saving lives but using advanced technology to make surgical procedures safer, less invasive and more effective along the way.”
One-of-a-Kind in Central Texas
Bebbington has long pioneered advanced fetal care — treating rare fetal heart conditions to neural tube defects — in communities where such expertise was previously unknown. Now, he’s continuing that work as co-director of the new Comprehensive Fetal Care Center, a partnership between UT Health Austin and Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. The center, which has performed 55 successful surgeries in less than a year since its launch, is the only one of its kind in Central Texas — opening a world of diagnostic and surgical possibilities that previously required Austin families to travel elsewhere. Last year, Bebbington led the first twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome laser surgery in the region.
And beyond the operating room, he sees the value of comprehensive care as recognizing and caring for all the ways in which these diagnoses impact families.
“Even if there is absolutely nothing we can do with surgery, if we can provide compassionate care, we can then change the way parents and families experience the health care system, and the trajectory of how they move forward in their lives.”