Why can’t we save these babies?
When Stahlman began working, reliable technology for the ventilation of newborns
was not available, so she sought out and improved the best ventilators she
could find. She ended up making it possible for babies to survive at younger
and younger ages. Not only did Stahlman do innovative research, but she also
trained a huge number of residents and fellows. To show their gratitude to
Stahlman, various groups have arranged her birthday parties over the years. Her
60th birthday was held in Nashville, and was celebrated with many fellows from
across the nation as well as those from abroad. Her 70th birthday was
celebrated in Sweden with 50 or 60 fellows and colleagues attending, while her
80th birthday was held in France, in the valley of the Loire River. Her 85th
birthday party was held in Sweden and was thrown by her Swedish fellows. All of
these parties included numerous people and fine food. Obviously, Stahlman must
have made quite an impression on people for them to organize such extravagant
parties for her.
I think that something that contributed to Dr. Mildred Stahlman’s success was her spirit. She was innovative enough to say, “Why can’t we save the babies born too early?” in a time when it was just accepted that they would die. She was confident
enough to learn all she could in the area of neonatology, and then to start
making changes. And most of all she had enough perseverance to do whatever it
took to make sure things were done right, be it coming in to personally see
every child who needed to be ventilated for the first couple years at
Vanderbilt, or setting up a transport service that still brings babies to
Vanderbilt from hospitals that are not able to save them. I hope that I am able
to emulate these qualities as I grow older, because it seems that they have
served Stahlman very well.
Scholarship help
Stahlman has not only done great things in science but has also helped others by
providing scholarships for worthy students from Humphreys County, where she has
a farm. Soon after I met Stahlman, I was able to interview two of the people
who have received her scholarships.
Mallory Phillips, a native of Waverly, Tenn., is now a senior at Middle
Tennessee State University, where she is extremely involved in the university
community. Motivated by pride and a competitive nature, she was valedictorian
in her high school, making straight A’s. She was the president of the BETA club, and a sports writer for the local
newspaper. Phillips was also the only person under 40 on the Drug Alliance team
in her county and she sat on the health council. In college her schedule became
even more demanding. She is currently homecoming director and vice-president of
recruitment for her sorority. She gives tours, helps in orientation, and
advises transfer students. Phillips has also received scholarships from MTSU
and a lottery scholarship, but without Stahlman’s support she would have had to take a job off campus. After college Phillips
wants to combine her public relations major with her love of sports and charity
by either being a sports marketer for the Titans or working for a nonprofit
organization.
Kerry Ross, M.D., the first recipient of one of Stahlman’s scholarships, is in private practice in internal medicine and pediatrics in
Dickson, Tenn. While in high school in McEwen, Tenn., Ross played basketball
and football, participated in science club, and, like Phillips, was in the BETA
club. After receiving the Stahlman scholarship, Ross chose Union University for
college. In many of his classes he realized he was just as smart as the pre-med
students; with Stahlman’s influence and encouragement, he decided to go into medicine. After medical
school at the University of Tennessee, he completed a residency in
Medicine/Pediatrics at Vanderbilt.
When I asked why he had been successful, he said, “The biggest thing I’ve found out in life is that, life is not about how intelligent you are, it is
about motivation.” This quote seems to be right in line with Stahlman’s strong work ethic.
While many might see Mildred Stahlman as just another scientist, I’ve had a glimpse of something more. If you look a little closer you can see that
she is an extraordinary person with a wide spectrum of talents. After hearing
about her childhood filled with exceptional and varied experiences and
expectations, her classical education, and her extraordinary medical
experiences, it is not hard to believe that she has made the most of life’s opportunities. She is willing to challenge traditional practices and to commit
herself to moving the field forward. Vanderbilt is truly lucky to have such an
esteemed doctor as Dr. Mildred Stahlman working on its campus.
