To Teach To Heal To Discover

Arizona Elks Endowed Chair for Neonatal Research

In 2002, on the 10th Anniversary of the Steele Center, the Arizona Elks President announced a bold new goal: to fund the Arizona Elks Endowed Chair for Neonatal Research. More than $1.2 of the $2 million commitment has been donated. This Chair supports research that will make life better for our tiniest infants—those born prematurely.

In 2003, Jonathan Wispé, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, was appointed as the Arizona Elks Endowed Chair for Neonatal Research. This Chair enables him to conduct cutting-edge research into diseases that affect newborns.

Currently, Dr. Wispé is exploring the problem of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease that affects thousands of premature babies every year. Dr. Wispé is exploring how too much oxygen (hyperoxia) disrupts normal lung development in premature newborns. “We know that BPD can cause lifelong respiratory difficulties and is associated with poor growth, delayed development, and repeated hospitalizations. I’m interested in discovering what the mechanisms of injury are.” he says.

Dr. Wispé is investigating the factors that regulate normal lung development and how hyperoxia upsets that process. “We know that too much oxygen alters the growth and development of the lung. What we don’t yet know is why,” explains Dr. Wispé. “If we can identify the genetic reasons for why lung growth is altered, we’ll be able to identify ways to prevent oxygen from damaging the lungs.”
UA College of Medicine