The speaker for this year’s John Curran Lecture was Vinod Bhutani, MD, professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Bhutani’s research relates to quality- and equity-driven maternal and child healthcare. At the Nov. 13 lecture, titled “Each Baby is Precious,” he discussed how high maternal and child morbidity and mortality rates can be addressed by implementing evidenced-based interventions that use innovative and culturally-adapted strategies to bridge barriers.
L to R: Dr. John Curran, for whom the neonatal lectureship is named; distinguished lecturer Dr. Vinod Bhutani of Stanford University School of Medicine; and Dr. Patricia Emmanuel, chair of the USF Health Department of Pediatrics.
The John Curran lectureship — one of the medical school’s first — was established in 1992 by Dr. Robert Nelson, who served as chief of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine from 1992 to 2002 prior to his role as chair of the Department of Pediatrics. The lectureship honors Dr. Curran as the founding Neonatology Division chief and founder of the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program.
Each year, individuals with national and international reputations in neonatal care are invited to give the honorary lecture and to participate in the Curran Lectureship events, which include a dinner, a reception following the lecture, and time spent rounding in TGH’s neonatal intensive care unit with the fellows. The speaker also visits with fellows during a luncheon to discuss their research and clinical interests.
Neonatology fellows with Dr. Bhutani and Dr. Michael Fant, current director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
