PAST LEADERSHIP AT TEXAS CHILDREN'S
Dr. Russell J. Blattner, former chairman of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine

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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.