Her passion and dedication to patient care run deep – and began early. She told her pediatrician at 7 years old that she would buy his practice someday.

Dr. Lobeck was born in Moldova, a part of the former Soviet Union. Seeing a safer and better life, her family immigrated to the United States as refugees. Dr. Lobeck says her background shaped who she is today.

Dr. Lobeck is triple board-certified in adult general and thoracic surgery, surgical critical care and pediatric surgery. She is also currently leading a large multi-institutional research study on the ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure and has begun a phase III clinical trial at Children’s Mercy for prenatal intervention for severe diaphragmatic hernia – a procedure that offers a chance at survival for some of the sickest babies.

She will tell you she wants families to know that having a baby with a congenital anomaly can be scary and isolating, but at a place like Children’s Mercy with a robust Fetal Health Center and a multitude of experts who are dedicated to ensuring the best quality care for every child, even before birth, they should feel comfort in knowing they have a support system.

Dr. Lobeck says the most rewarding part of her job is being with her patients from birth (or even before) to adulthood and being able to alter their course through pre- per- or postnatal intervention. She’s even had three patients named Inna after her.

Notable achievements:

• First female Pediatric Surgeon (ever!) at the University of Wisconsin.

• Founded, built and grew the University of Wisconsin Health Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center in 3 years which became a regional referral site for fetal surgical conditions, changed referral patterns and became a steering committee member site for the North American Fetal Therapy Network. 

• Surgical Director of the Children’s Mercy Kansas City Fetal Health Center; started the fetal surgery program at Children’s Mercy which has already begun changing referral patterns and performing complex pre- peri- and postnatal surgeries.

• Leading two international, multi-site, multi-disciplinary studies on social determinants of health in access to and outcomes of fetal surgery and ex-utero intrapartum treatment.

• Leading a Phase 3 Clinical Trial for pre-natal intervention for severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Dr. Audrey Evans inspires me because as a woman in a heavily male-dominated field (surgery) it's easy to fall into the norm; to be complacent; to not make waves.. Audrey Evans broke through glass ceilings and moved the field of medicine forward. One of my core beliefs is that in medicine, we should always be growing. Just as important as taking great care of our patients, is the desire to advance the field, as Dr Evans did.

I want my legacy to be one of living outside of the comfort zone. I’d like to push the dial forward and offer hope to babies who would have not previously have had a chance at survival, good quality of life through prenatal, peri-natal and postnatal intervention. Access to fetal surgery programs is limited in the United States due to the limited number of fetal surgery centers. In opening two fetal surgery centers, I’d like my legacy to be one of allowing more pregnant patients to have access to these critical services and having the choice for fetal intervention.