Bridging Pediatrics, Research, and Holistic Child Sleep Support
Meet Dr. Tomomi Urabe, MD, a pediatrician, medical researcher, and graduate of IPHI’s Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant Certification Program.
Dr. Urabe brings a particularly valuable perspective to the field of children’s sleep: one grounded in clinical medicine and pediatric research while recognizing that supporting a child also means understanding the larger environment in which that child develops.
Her professional and academic background includes work with the Department of Pediatrics at Tokyo Medical University, where she contributed to research involving complex and important areas of pediatric health. Published medical literature identifies Tomomi Urabe, MD, as a member of the department and co-author of multiple pediatric research studies.
A Strong Foundation in Pediatric Medicine and Research
Dr. Urabe’s academic contributions have included research related to pediatric neurology, seizures and epilepsy, childhood central nervous system conditions, and infantile spasms.
Among her published work, Dr. Urabe was a co-author of research examining inflammatory markers in children with central nervous system infections, including meningitis and encephalopathy.
She also contributed to research examining West syndrome, a severe epilepsy syndrome associated with infantile spasms. The study investigated serum cytokine responses to ACTH therapy in affected children.
Her research background additionally includes published work involving complex febrile seizures and pediatric epilepsy, including a report concerning sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in childhood.
Dr. Urabe also appears among the Tokyo Medical University pediatric team presenting research on the clinical characteristics of children attending the university’s pediatric headache clinic at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Child Neurology.
Together, these contributions reflect a professional background extending well beyond general health education into clinical pediatric medicine and academic inquiry.
Extending Pediatric Expertise Into Sleep
Sleep is deeply intertwined with children’s neurological development, physical health, emotional well-being, family relationships, and everyday functioning.
Dr. Urabe expanded her professional knowledge into this area through IPHI’s Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant Certification Program.
IPHI’s approach encourages professionals to look beyond sleep as an isolated behavior and consider the many interconnected influences that can contribute to sleep challenges during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood.
For a pediatric physician, that broader lens provides another way of considering the child within the context of development, health, environment, caregivers, and family well-being.
Contributing to Infant Sleep Safety Education
Dr. Urabe has also contributed her pediatric expertise to public education surrounding infant sleep safety.
She was featured by Japanese pregnancy and parenting publication Baby-mo in an educational discussion concerning blankets and infant sleep environments, providing a pediatric medical perspective on reducing sleep-related risks.
This type of public education is especially meaningful because families are frequently confronted with conflicting information about infant sleep. Helping parents distinguish between preference, tradition, and evidence-informed safety recommendations can be an important part of supporting families during infancy.
Supporting the Development of IPHI in Japan
Dr. Urabe’s relationship with IPHI extended beyond her education.
In 2021, Dr. Tomomi Urabe was named as one of the pediatrician advisors to the supervisory committee for IPHI Japan, alongside Dr. Sayoko Shirai and Dr. Minori Ota.
Her participation represents something we deeply value at IPHI: bringing together professionals from different disciplines to advance a more comprehensive understanding of sleep and family health.
Where Pediatric Medicine and Whole-Family Support Meet
One of the most important lessons in children’s sleep is that sleep rarely exists independently from the rest of a child’s life.
Development, neurological health, physical health, environment, relationships, parental well-being, feeding, emotional regulation, and countless other influences can intersect with how a child sleeps.
Dr. Urabe’s journey illustrates the value of bringing different areas of professional knowledge together rather than viewing them in isolation.
Her foundation in pediatric medicine and medical research, combined with additional education in holistic pregnancy and child sleep, reflects the multidisciplinary thinking that continues to shape the future of family-centered care.
Graduate Profile
Dr. Tomomi Urabe, MD
Location: Japan
Profession: Pediatrician | Medical Researcher
Academic/Professional Background: Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Medical University
Research Areas: Pediatric neurology, epilepsy and seizures, infantile spasms, central nervous system conditions and pediatric headache research
IPHI Certification: Holistic Pregnancy & Child Sleep Consultant
Additional IPHI Role: Pediatrician advisor to the supervisory committee associated with IPHI’s expansion of pregnancy and infant sleep consultant education in Japan
Additional Work: Public education related to infant sleep safety
IPHI is honored to recognize Dr. Tomomi Urabe and the depth of medical knowledge and professional experience she brings to the field.
Her work is a wonderful example of what can happen when pediatric medicine, scientific inquiry, sleep education, and a broader understanding of children and families come together.
