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Hackett named Dodge Scholar in Pediatrics

Highly regarded neonatologist noted for excellence in clinical care, mentoring

by Kristina SauerweinJuly 27, 2016

Robert Boston

Brian P. Hackett, MD, PhD, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named the Philip R. Dodge, MD, Scholar in Pediatrics.

Hackett recently was installed by Gary A. Silverman, MD, PhD, the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor and head of the Department of Pediatrics. The department and university are funding the position, named in honor of the esteemed School of Medicine pediatrician recognized as a founder of pediatric neurology.

“Brian Hackett embodies the dedication to fellowship training, student mentoring and pediatric clinical care that Philip Dodge displayed on a daily basis,” Silverman said. “Similarly, Brian possesses innovative, cutting-edge skills as well as compassion and long-term vision.”

A highly regarded neonatologist, Hackett serves as director of both the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program and the Office of Faculty Development. His research has included identifying a gene essential for differentiation in respiratory cells.

Hackett treats patients at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

The Philip R. Dodge, MD, Scholar in Pediatrics is one of three pediatric scholar positions established in 2013 that honor acclaimed former pediatricians at the university.

Dodge served as head of the Department of Pediatrics from 1967 to 1986. A professor emeritus of pediatrics and of neurology, Dodge is credited with bringing the department and Children’s Hospital to international prominence for clinical care, teaching and research. Known for his vision, wisdom and compassion, he was a respected clinician and revered teacher and mentor. He died in 2009.

Washington University School of Medicine‘s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient-care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

Kristina covers pediatrics, surgery, medical education and student life. In 2020, she received a gold Robert G. Fenley Writing Award for general staff writing from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and in 2019, she received the silver award. Kristina is an author and former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Los Angeles Times, where she was part of a team of journalists that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for breaking news. Additionally, she covered the 2014 Ferguson unrest for TIME magazine and, for eight years, wrote a popular parenting column for BabyCenter.com.