Having trained in the Yale pediatrics residency at the end of Dr. Howard Pearson’s tenure as chair, we enjoyed reading the history of Yale pediatrics in the recent issue of Yale Medicine Magazine.
However, the list of Dr. Pearson’s landmark achievements is much longer than those listed in the article’s brief summary of his chairmanship.
For a more detailed and personal description of Dr. Pearson’s life and career, we refer readers to the oral history written by his grandson, Matthew Pearson, who was a 10th-grader at the time of the interviews. That oral history helped Matthew attain his Family Life merit badge, ultimately leading to his Eagle Scout certification. The history was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics: m.yale.edu/pearson-history/
There, you can read about Dr. Pearson's ground-breaking contributions to pediatric hematology, including the discovery of functional asplenia in people with sickle cell disease; the first description of the “born-again spleen”; his early work on standards of care for people with thalassemia; his description of one of the first mitochondrial diseases to be recognized, Pearson’s marrow-pancreas syndrome; and his key role in the iron fortification of infant formula, which was adopted by the WIC program. This policy essentially abolished severe iron deficiency anemia in a high-risk population of infants in New Haven—findings that were replicated nationally.
And, as a bonus, you can learn about the bawdy song lyrics that Dr. Pearson penned as a student, get confirmation that Paul Newman did indeed have “very blue eyes,” and find out why Dr. Pearson had a lifelong hatred of pea soup and creamed chipped beef.
Things we didn’t learn as residents.
David J. Birnkrant, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Jane B. Black, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Yale Pediatrics residents 1985-1988