Jerold Francis Lucey (March 26, 1926 – December 10, 2017) was an American

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

and journal editor. He specialised in the field of

neonatology Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty, and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The ...

, and introduced several therapies to mainstream use in the United States, including

phototherapy Light therapy, also called phototherapy or bright light therapy is intentional daily exposure to direct sunlight or similar-intensity artificial light in order to treat medical disorders, especially seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and circadi ...

for

neonatal jaundice Neonatal jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the white part of the eyes and skin in a newborn baby due to high bilirubin levels. Other symptoms may include excess sleepiness or poor feeding. Complications may include seizures, cerebral pals ...

, transcutaneous oxygen monitoring, and

pulmonary surfactant Pulmonary surfactant is a surface-active complex of phospholipids and proteins formed by type II alveolar cells. The proteins and lipids that make up the surfactant have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic In chemistry, hydrophobicity is t ...

use.

Life and career

Lucey was born in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, in 1926. After graduating from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1948, having studied

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

, he completed a doctor of medicine at New York University College of Medicine in 1952. He was an intern at Bellevue Hospital and a resident at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, before completing a research fellowship focusing on jaundice in newborns at Boston Children's Hospital and

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

. He moved to Vermont in 1956 to join the University of Vermont College of Medicine faculty, and was promoted to professor in 1967. He was named the Harry Wallace Professor of Neonatology in 1995 and remained in that role until his retirement in 2009. Lucey was responsible for introducing

to the United States as a treatment for jaundice in newborns; although the technique had been invented earlier, Lucey conducted the first major trial to show that phototherapy was effective. He also led the first

randomized controlled trial A randomized controlled trial (or randomized control trial; RCT) is a form of scientific experiment used to control factors not under direct experimental control. Examples of RCTs are clinical trials that compare the effects of drugs, surgical te ...

use in

infant respiratory distress syndrome Infantile respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), also called respiratory distress syndrome of newborn, or increasingly surfactant deficiency disorder (SDD), and previously called hyaline membrane disease (HMD), is a syndrome in premature infants c ...

, leading to its widespread use in premature infants. Similarly, he promoted the use of transcutaneous oxygen saturation monitoring in newborns after seeing it used in Germany. Lucey was

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an American professional association of pediatricians, headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It maintains its Department of Federal Affairs office in Washington, D.C. Background The Academy was founded ...

' journal ''

Pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...

'' from 1974 until 2008. He received the

John Howland Award The John Howland Award is the highest honor bestowed by the American Pediatric Society (APS). Named in honor of John Howland (1873–1926), the award, with its accompanying medal, is presented annually by the American Pediatric Society for "dist ...

, the highest honor of the American Pediatric Society, in 2009. He died from a stroke on December 10, 2017, in Osprey, Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucey, Jerold F. 1926 births 2017 deaths American neonatologists Medical journal editors People from Holyoke, Massachusetts Members of the National Academy of Medicine New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni Dartmouth College alumni University of Vermont faculty Physicians from Massachusetts