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Merton Bernfield, MD, former chairman and chief of BWH’s Department of Newborn Medicine and chief of the Division of Newborn Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, died Monday, March 18 at the age of 63.
Bernfield, who also served as chief of the Joint Program in Neonatology and Clement A. Smith Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, was a pioneer in the field of glycobiology. Bernfield’s research lead to the discovery of syndecans —molecules that control or influence tissue repair, energy metabolism, tumorigenesis and immune response development.
As a leader in Newborn Medicine, Bernfield brought a scholarly approach to clinical medicine by supporting and developing neonatologists who were not only superior caregivers, but also well-versed in the basic sciences. He believed that the true answers to the diseases associated with prematurity would come from understanding them at a molecular and cellular level.
In addition to his work as a researcher and clinician, Bernfield was an esteemed mentor and teacher, who guided more than 50 students and postdoctorates throughout his career.
Bernfield is survived by his wife, Audrey, three children, Susan, James, and Mark, and two grandsons, Milo and Beattie.
Expressions of sympathy in his memory may be donated to the American Society for Cell Biology, 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814.