2007 Recipient - Jerold Lucey, MD

Jacksonville, Florida
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 @ 10:39 AM EDT

Jerold F. Lucey, MD, Honored with 2007 Alfred I. duPont Award

For his lifetime commitment to advancing pediatric clinical care, research and education, Jerold F. Lucey, MD, was named as the recipient of the 2007 Alfred I. duPont Award for Excellence in Children’s Health Care. Dr. Lucey has a worldwide reputation as a leader in neonatal research and is the founder of the Vermont Oxford Network, an international database dedicated to improving the quality and safety of medical care for newborn infants.

The duPont Award consists of a $50,000 cash prize and an original Steuben Glass crystal sculpture. Dr. Lucey was honored at a ceremony on Tuesday, September 25, at the Wilmington Country Club, Wilmington, Delaware.

Dr. Lucey is the Harry Wallace Professor of Neonatology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine where he has been on the faculty since 1956. He was chief of Newborn Services at Fletcher Allen Health Care (Burlington, VT) for 35 years and has been editor-in-chief of Pediatrics, the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, since 1974.

During his career, he helped pioneer two landmark treatments for newborn children - phototherapy to prevent infant jaundice and artificial surfactant to assist breathing of premature infants. In addition, Dr. Lucey has developed a remarkable worldwide health outcomes database network for quality improvement in the care of premature infants, the Vermont Oxford Network. More than 600 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the United States and over 125 NICUs located in 25 countries around the world participate in the Network. The Network currently manages data on over 50,000 infants per year with birth weights of less than 1500 grams (3.31 lbs.). The Network database currently headed by Drs. Jeffrey Horbar and Roger Soll has become a recognized standard around the world and is a unique and valuable resource for clinical trials, long-term follow-up studies and epidemiologic and outcomes research.

His work in the field of neonatology has earned Dr. Lucey national and international recognition, including a Best of Medicine award from the National Science Foundation, a Humboldt Award, the APGAR Award and the American Academy of Pediatrics Lifetime Achievement Award. He has authored or co-authored more than 160 articles and edited six books.

modified: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 @ 03:21 PM EDT
created: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 @ 10:40 AM EDT