The Division of Neonatology was born with the arrival of Dr. George Cassady in July of 1964 as the chief of perinatology and director of nurseries after completing training at Duke University, Harvard University and the NIH. His final year of training was in neonatal physiology at Harvard University under the direction of the legendary Clement Smith. In his own words upon his arrival, Dr. Cassady said, “There were four nurseries on the 5^th floor of Hillman – two ‘white’ on one side and two ‘colored’ on the other side of the delivery rooms – ‘regular’ & ‘premature’ nurseries. My first task was to convert the ‘colored’ nurseries into a single ‘High Risk’ nursery which had about 1,110 admissions during its initial year of operation. The ‘white’ nurseries became the ‘Well Baby Nursery’. The total deliveries was about 3,500 that year. Many threats to me and my family from the KKK for the ‘integration’!!”

During those early years, Dr. Cassady had a number of trainees, there was no official neonatal-perinatal fellowship then, and junior faculty but no official and funded faculty associates until 1980. Several of his early associates went on to significant leadership positions at other institutions in the US and abroad.

Dr. Joseph Philips joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1980 after his fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Florida where he studied in the laboratory of Sidney Cassin, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of the pulmonary transitional circulation. Dr. Philips established the Perinatal Physiology Research Laboratory and continued work in the field of pulmonary transitional circulation and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. This laboratory continues today under the direction of Dr. Namasivayam Ambalavanan who arrived as a fellow in 1993 and remained on faculty upon completion of training and is now professor of Pediatrics with significant NIH and other agency funding.

Dr. Cassady and Dr. Philips were funded in the initial round of funding from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for the Neonatal Research Network. The division’s participation in this important national, multi-centered consortium, which has produced numerous seminal studies, continues to the present day.

Dr. Waldemar (Wally) Carlo arrived as director of the Division of Neonatology in 1991. He continued membership in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network and subsequently gained membership in the NIH-sponsored NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. Dr. Carlo has published hundreds of scholarly works and has positively affected healthcare for infants worldwide. He has received numerous prestigious awards including the Douglas K. Richardson Award in Perinatal and Pediatric Healthcare from the Society for Pediatric Research and the Virginia Apgar Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The original newborn nurseries were located on the 5^th floor of the New Hillman Building. They underwent extensive remodeling in the late 1980 to encompass space on the 4^th and 5^th floors. However, as census increased, satellite step-down nurseries were established in the adjoining Jefferson Tower building. The first NICU opened at Children’s Hospital of Alabama in the late 1980s under the direction of Dr. Raymond Lyrene. After several years the Children’s nursery expanded into two separate units. In 1991, the division established a community group to provide neonatology services to local hospitals outside the UAB and Children’s systems. This group has grown to cover most NICUs in the city and surrounding area.

The ever-increasing census of the UAB RNICU led to its relocation to the Women and Infant’s Center in 2010. This state-of-the-art, all private room NICU has a capacity of 125 infants. It is the largest all private room NICU in the country and is one of the largest of any kind. Two state-of-the-art 25 bed NICUs opened in the Benjamin Russel Hospital at Children’s of Alabama in 2012. Combined, these NICUs constitute the largest academic neonatology service in the nation.

An accredited fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine was established in the late 1980s. More than 75 neonatologists from all over the world have been trained since the late 1970s. Many of these have assumed positions at prestigious institutions including chairs of pediatrics and directors of neonatology, while others have pursued careers in private practice.

The faculty currently numbers 22. Many current faculty members are NIH funded or are working towards this goal. Others are focused on quality improvement or simulation.

The division has made many significant contributions to the understanding of neonatal pathophysiology and disease over the years. Dr. Cassady made seminal contributions to our understanding of fluid and electrolyte physiology of the fetus and neonate while at UAB. Dr. Philips made important contributions to our understanding of the physiology of the transitional pulmonary circulation and the elucidation of the mechanism whereby Group B Streptococcus causes pulmonary hypertension in the newborn. More recently, the division has become a powerhouse of investigation into the pathophysiology and management of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Additional areas of study include the pulmonary microbiome, the neonatal brain and the role of mitochondria in neonatal disease.

Division Directors

George Cassady-1964 to the late 80s
Photo credit: UAB Archive

Wally Carlo- 1991 to present