Cole, Hultgren, Loeb receive 2014 2nd Century Awards

From the left, Scott J. Hultgren, PhD, Carol B. Loeb and F. Sessions Cole, MD, each received the 2014 2nd Century Award from Washington University School of Medicine. (Credit: Mark Beaven)

Honored for their many and varied contributions to Washington University School of Medicine, the recipients of the 2014 2nd Century Awards were F. Sessions Cole, MD, Scott J. Hultgren, PhD, and Carol B. Loeb.

The 2nd Century Awards recognize those whose long-term commitment and participation have helped the School of Medicine enter its second century with strength and confidence. The awards were given in the fall.

F. Sessions Cole was honored for his achievements in improving outcomes for newborn infants, including the prevention and treatment of respiratory distress. A leading national advocate of the consequences of premature birth, Cole is the Park J. White, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, assistant vice chancellor for children’s health, vice chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and director of the Division of Newborn Medicine at the School of Medicine. He also is chief medical officer at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He joined the faculty at the School of Medicine and the medical staff at Children’s Hospital in 1986.

Cole’s research focuses on discovering the genetic causes for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. His work has led to neonatal and prenatal diagnosis of its inherited forms and to treatment with lung transplantation. He also led and reviewed research for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), including the IOM’s landmark 2006 report “Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences and Prevention.” He has mentored more than 30 neonatal-perinatal fellows, pediatric residents and medical students.

Scott J. Hultgren, the Helen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology and director of the Center for Women’s Infectious Diseases Research at the School of Medicine, was honored for his research, focused on microbial-host interactions, and his work’s impact on how infectious diseases are diagnosed, treated and prevented.

Hultgren’s research is dedicated to determining the onset, course and outcome of interactions between the host urinary tract and bacterial pathogens. The Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research investigates a variety of health issues, including the causes of urinary tract infections, infections that lead to premature birth, and other infectious diseases that affect female health disproportionately.

Recognition of Hultgren’s work has been widespread. He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011. He also has been named a Nobel Fellow and awarded a Merit Grant from the National Institutes of Health. Twenty-five PhD/Medical Science Training Program students have graduated from his lab, and more than 30 postdoctoral and medical fellows have trained with him.

Carol B. Loeb was honored for her personal and professional dedication to the advancement of education. Her commitment has been evident in a teaching career that spans five decades and in her role as an enthusiastic supporter of the School of Medicine.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and French from Mount Holyoke College, Loeb taught mathematics at John Burroughs School in St. Louis. In 1977, her husband’s job moved the family to Washington, where Loeb continued to substitute teach while raising their children, Kelly and Dan.

When the family returned to St. Louis in 1979, Loeb resumed teaching for John Burroughs as the SAT instructor. She also teaches SAT and ACT courses for Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School.

Loeb’s late husband, Jerry, who died in 2004, earned a master’s degree in pure mathematics from Washington University in 1964. After retiring as chairman of the board of May Department Stores Co. in 2001, he became an adjunct professor of marketing at Washington University’s Olin Business School.

In 2001, the Loebs launched the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Colloquium, which brings renowned mathematicians from other universities to the Danforth Campus. The following year, they established the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Teaching Fellows Program at the School of Medicine. The two-year fellowships allow St. Louis physicians the opportunity to enrich the professional development of students and residents.

In 2004, the couple endowed the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Professorship in the School of Medicine. And in 2009, Carol Loeb established the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Professorship in Orthopaedic Surgery. Loeb is a life member of the Danforth Circle Dean’s Level and an annual member of the William Greenleaf Eliot Society. She serves on the School of Medicine’s National Council and has been awarded the university’s prestigious Robert S. Brookings Award.

In addition, she serves on the board of the Saint Louis Science Center and has been recognized with the DuPont Foundation Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching.