Brad W. Warner, M.D., professor of surgery and of pediatrics and pediatric surgeon-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, has been named the Jessie L. Ternberg, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Surgery.
Ternberg is professor emerita of surgery and of surgery in pediatrics. A nationally recognized pediatric surgeon, she was the first woman surgical resident and first woman chief resident in surgery at Barnes Hospital, the first female surgeon on the School of Medicine’s full-time faculty and the first woman elected to head the school’s faculty council.
Warner
Warner was installed by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.
“During her nearly 40-year career, Jessie Ternberg was an extraordinary pioneer in pediatric surgery, showing great care and dedication to her many young patients,” Wrighton said.
“Dr. Warner’s dedication to pediatric surgery, patient care and research makes him an excellent choice to carry on the legacy of Dr. Ternberg through this professorship,” Wrighton said.
“As Ternberg did during her tenure at the School of Medicine, Warner searches for solutions to short bowel syndrome, a painful disorder that can cause malnutrition,” Shapiro said. “We are pleased that Dr. Warner will continue with this outstanding work. Dr. Ternberg has trained generations of pediatric surgeons and pediatricians (including me), and it is gratifying to see her enduring contribution to the field recognized in this way.”
More than 50 of Ternberg’s friends and admirers, including Walter F. Ballinger, M.D., and Mary Randolph Ballinger; Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth, M.D.; Thomas E. and Carolyn Gallagher; Richard Karl, M.D., and Kathy Karl; Edward S. Lewis, M.D.; RB and Peggy Lewis; the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation; St. Louis Children’s Hospital; and Virginia Weldon, M.D., funded the professorship.
In 1949, Ternberg and Robert Eakin, Ph.D., reported their discovery of the mechanism by which vitamin B12 is absorbed in the intestine. In 1953, Ternberg earned a medical degree from the School of Medicine. Following residency training at Barnes Hospital, Ternberg joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1959 as an instructor of surgery. She rose through the ranks to become professor of surgery.
She organized the Division of Pediatric Surgery in the Department of Surgery, and in 1975 was acknowledged also as professor of surgery in pediatrics.
A St. Louis native, Warner joined the School of Medicine faculty and St. Louis Children’s Hospital in 2007 after 25 years at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He is widely regarded for his clinical expertise in pediatric cancer surgery and surgical procedures for short bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, and he has trained more than 30 postdoctoral fellows.
“Dr. Warner has been a transformative agent at the School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” says Timothy J. Eberlein, M.D., the Bixby Professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery, the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor, director of the Siteman Cancer Center and surgeon-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “He is a superb role model and educator and has been able to build a superb team in a very short period of time.
“In sum, he has helped our institutions realize their goals of providing the very best health care to children in our region,” Eberlein said.