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PAST LEADERSHIP AT TEXAS CHILDREN'S
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Hospital
highlights |
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Leadership |
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Past Leadership |
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Dr. Russell J. Blattner |
Dr. Russell J.
Blattner became the first physician-in-chief of Texas Children's
Hospital upon its inception in 1954. Dr. Blattner came to Houston in
1947 to be the first chair of Baylor College of Medicine’s
newly-formed Department of Pediatrics. He was instrumental in
developing Baylor’s pediatric residency program and played a primary
role in the planning and construction of Texas Children’s Hospital.
In addition to being physician-in-chief at Texas Children's
Hospital, Dr. Blattner was concurrently pediatrician-in-chief at Ben
Taub General Hospital, pediatrician-in-chief at Jefferson Davis
Hospital, chief of pediatrics at Hermann Hospital and senior
attending pediatrician at Methodist Hospital (all in Houston). He
was also a member of the consulting staff of several hospitals and
medical institutions in southeast Texas.
Dr. Blattner received his A.B. and M.D. from Washington University
in St. Louis (1929 and 1933 respectively). He completed his
internship at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis was resident at St. Louis
Children’s Hospital. He served on the Board of the American Academy
of Pediatrics and wrote a monthly review of pediatric medical
literature, which became a mainstay of its journal. He was also a
fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the American Medical
Association, the American Pediatric Society, the American Public
Health Association and the American Society of Human Genetics.
One of Dr. Blattner’s many contributions to pediatric care was
allowing parents to stay with their children during hospitalization.
Texas Children’s was the first institution in the country to adopt
such a policy, a practice that is now commonplace nationwide. During
his tenure, Dr. Blattner fostered a strong and lasting partnership
between Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, an
affiliation that has resulted in one of the largest and most
pre-eminent pediatrics programs in the country. He was instrumental
in securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for research
and growth of the hospital, doubling the size of the hospital during
his twenty-three year tenure.
He retired as Texas Children’s physician-in-chief and his other
positions in 1977 and was succeeded by Dr. Ralph D. Feigin. Dr.
Blattner passed away December 6, 2002 at the age of 94.
 
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