Mildred T. Stahlman (born July 31, 1922) is an American neonatologist and academic. She worked as a professor of pediatrics and pathology at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

Early life

Mildred T. Stahlman was born on July 31, 1922, in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father,

James Geddes Stahlman James Geddes Stahlman (February 28, 1893 – May 1, 1976) was an American newspaper publisher and philanthropist. He was the publisher of the ''Nashville Banner''. He was opposed to desegregation. Early years James Geddes Stahlman was born on Febr ...

, was a Tennessee newspaper publisher who was opposed to desegregation and was a trustee of

. Her paternal great-grandfather, Major Edward Bushrod Stahlman, was a German-born railroad executive, the owner of the ''

Nashville Banner The ''Nashville Banner'' is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998. The ''Banner'' was published each Monday through Friday afternoon (as well as Saturdays unti ...

'', and the developer of

The Stahlman The Stahlman is a historic building in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. It was completed in 1907 for Major Edward Bushrod Stahlman. History It was built by Major Edward Bushrod Stahlman. When the Stahlman building opened in 1907, it housed the Fourth ...

. Stahlman graduated from the Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science in 1943 and she earned her M.D. from the

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is a graduate medical school of Vanderbilt University located in Nashville, Tennessee. Located in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center on the southeastern side of the Vanderbilt University campus, the ...

in 1946.

Career

Stahlman worked as an intern at the Lakeside Hospital in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

from 1946 to 1947 and as a pediatric intern at

Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital formerly known as Children's Hospital Boston until 2012 is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical Scho ...

from 1947 to 1948. She then served as Assistant Resident at the Pediatric Service of the

Vanderbilt University Medical Center The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains acad ...

from 1948 to 1948, and later as a cardiac resident at La Rabida Sanitarium and Exchange Fellow at Royal Caroline Institute in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. She spent the rest of her career at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Stahlman started the first newborn intensive care unit in the world, in order to use

respiratory therapy A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare professional, healthcare practitioner trained in Intensive care medicine, critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical condi ...

for infants with damaged lungs. In addition, she has researched methods to prevent and treat disease, developed overseas fellowship exchange programs, and initiated the Angel Transport mobile intensive-care unit for newborns. She is an author on more than 100 peer-reviewed articles on neonatal care, focusing on the care of premature infants. Her publications include several papers on ethical and moral issues concerning extreme low birth rate infants. She has received the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine certification from the

American Board of Pediatrics The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) was founded in 1933. It is one of the 24 certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). The ABP is an independent and nonprofit organization. The ABP's mission is to advance child hea ...

and the Pediatrics certification from the

. Additionally, she received the

American Pediatric Society The American Pediatric Society (APS) is the first pediatric society established in North America. Created in 1888, the APS pursues a vision of an engaged, inclusive, and impactful community of pediatric thought leaders. The APS mission is to sha ...

's highest honor, 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 ...

in 1996. Stahlman celebrated her 90th birthday in 2012, and turned 100 on July 31, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stahlman, Mildred T. 1922 births Living people American people of German descent American centenarians Women centenarians Educators from Nashville, Tennessee Physicians from Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University alumni Vanderbilt University faculty American neonatologists Vanderbilt University School of Medicine alumni Members of the National Academy of Medicine Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences