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

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

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.

About the Alfred I. duPont Award

In 2001, the Board of Directors of Nemours established the Alfred I. duPont Award for Excellence in Children's Health Care to honor Mr. duPont and his legacy. The award consists of a $50,000 cash prize and an original crystal sculpture by Steuben Glass. In his life and work, Alfred I. duPont, benefactor of the Nemours Foundation, was creative but exacting -- seeking to inspire both himself and others to achieve excellence.

“We established this annual award to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to health care for children,” said John S. Lord, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nemours. “Dr. Lucey’s work and tireless advocacy is improving the quality of care provided to neonates on a global scale.”

Previous Laureates include:

2006 Award Recipient: Samuel L. Katz, MD
2005 Award Recipient: Mary Ellen Avery, MD
2004 Award Recipient: Robert J. Haggerty, MD
2003 Award Recipient: Lucian L. Leape, MD
2002 Award Recipient: Paul B. Batalden, MD
2001 Award Recipient: Donald M. Berwick, MD

modified: Thursday, October 04, 2007 @ 11:03 AM EDT
created: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 @ 10:40 AM EDT

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.