2005 Recipient - Mary Ellen Avery, MD
Recognized for: Lifetime of work saving premature babies suffering from respiratory distress syndrome.
Dr. Mary Ellen Avery is a native of Camden, New Jersey. She is a graduate of Wheaton College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After completing her pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, she became a research fellow in neonatology with the renowned Dr. Clement Smith at the Boston Lying Inn and Boston Children's Hospital.
Dr. Avery then returned to Johns Hopkins as a fellow and faculty member. Being concerned about the very high death rate in premature babies, she began to direct her research in this area in both the nursery and the laboratory. She observed that small premature babies had difficulty in expanding their lungs and directed her attention to the babies' lung biochemistry and physiology. Determining that the problem was one of surface tension in the lung, she discovered that a biochemical component of the lung was involved in reducing surface tension, but it was not present until later in the development of the fetus. Years of research and investigation resulted in the discovery of surfactant followed by the determination that some medications administered to the pregnant mother could stimulate surfactant production in premature babies while in utero, thus improving the premature babies' survival after birth.
Dr. Avery's research in lung biochemistry, surface tension, and pulmonary physiology and clinical application of her findings improved the survival of tens of thousands of babies. It is estimated that the number of deaths of premature babies was cut in half by her discovery of surfactant and the ability to stimulate its production early in development.
In addition to her research career, Dr. Avery has been Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the McGill University, the premier medical school in Canada, and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She is a prolific author in scholarly journals and a beloved teacher of today's leaders in pediatric health care across the nation. In addition to numerous awards, honors, and honorary degrees, she is a recipient of the National Medal of Science.
