F. Sessions Cole, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Director of Newborn Medicine
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Leading national advocate of the consequences of premature birth.
- Currently speaks to colleagues and would-be parents on the risks and repercussions of IVF and delayed childbirth.
- Dr. Cole has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, on ABC World News Tonight and has served as a contributing writer to ABC News Health (Neonatal Care 2031: An expert predicts how neonatal care will evolve).
- Primary research efforts focus on one of the most serious forms of respiratory distress in infants, which results from a lack of pulmonary substance called surfactant, which keeps the lungs inflated when babies breathe.
- In 1993, Cole and researchers at the School of Medicine discovered the gene for surfactant protein B (SP-B) a key component of this lethal disease.
- Chief Medical Officer and vice chairman of the department of pediatrics, and director of newborn medicine at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Assistant vice chancellor for children’s health at Washington University School of Medicine. Oversees the 75-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Notable Quotes from Dr. Cole
Dr. Cole discusses the IOM premature birth report on ABC News: World News Tonight (July 13, 2006):
“Women need to strike a balance between the hope of pregnancy and the reality of pre-maturity.”
Dr. Cole on the risks associated with early delivery:
“Focus, attention and the ability to learn can be issues for babies born less than full term. The decision to induce -- even one or two weeks before due date -- may have long term repercussions on the baby’s brain and lungs. These repercussions should be known, understood and considered by parents and physicians.”
Dr. Cole on the IOM premature birth report, for which he served as a consultant:
“Advanced reproductive technology is like the frontier of the Wild West; there is no systematic education of families by neonatologists or pediatricians about the outcomes of the pregnancy. Families think three babies are three times as good, but I can tell you that’s not always the case. It substantially increases the risk of adverse outcomes.”
Dr. Cole on the need for medical collaboration to ensure healthy babies:
“The major goal of a reproductive endocrinologist is to conceive. The major goal of a neonatalogist is to insure a healthy baby. We need to forge a connection between these two practices.”