In Memoriam: Dr Enid Gilbert-Barness

Dr. Enid Gilbert-Barness, AO, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, DSci(hc), MD(hc), a longtime member and past president (1986)of the Society for Pediatric Pathology, passed quietly on April 28, 2022. Her obituary listing many of her accomplishments can be found at https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000425106/.

As the Founding Editor of Fetal and Pediatric Pathology, her influence has been integral. This journal began in 1983 as Pediatric Pathology and was associated with the Society for Pediatric Pathology. In 1995, the journal name changed to Pediatric Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, emphasizing that laboratory values are altered in pediatric diseases. In 1998, the journal was no longer associated with The Society for Pediatric Pathology, and the name change of Pediatric and Molecular Medicine emphasized the role of molecular technology in developmental pathology. Dr. Gilbert-Barness recognized that Pediatric and Developmental Pathology was an excellent journal for pathologists, but also recognized that pediatric pathology practice required a cooperative effort among many disciplines, including “ultrasonographers and radiologists; maternal-fetal medicine specialists, perinatologists, obstetricians; developmental and evolutionary biologists; geneticists; endocrinologists and other colleagues” [1]. Along with Dr. Atilano Lacson, she launched the newly named multidisciplinary Fetal and Pediatric Pathology with a board composed of expert pediatric and developmental pathologists, pediatricians, perinatologists, geneticists, and feto-maternal obstetricians. For the next 11 years, she was the Editor-in-Chief of Fetal and Pediatric Pathology, contributing 44 manuscripts devoted to research, cooperative efforts between disciplines, and cases with substantial teaching value, while simultaneously editing Potters Pathology of the Fetus, Infant, and Child. To this day, this journal focuses on the multidisciplinary approach to fetal and pediatric diseases. Examples in this issue include Gestational outcomes of pregnant women with unilateral congenital renal agenesis, Delayed development of vacuoles and recanalization in the duodenum: a study in human fetuses to understand susceptibility to duodenal atresia/stenosis, Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor in a Newborn: Can IVF be a risk factor? The impact of first trimester TSH level on fetal growth and post-term pregnancy, Persistent left superior vena cava: why is prenatal diagnosis important? Inflammation markers in infants of mothers with gestational diabetes, Feasibility and safety of continuous glucose monitoring in infants at risk of hypoglycemia in a rooming-in setting. Continued emphasis on this integrated approach to pediatric diseases will ensure her continued influence on another generation of those involved with developmental disorders.

Randall Craver, MD
Editor-in-Chief
Fetal and Pediatric Pathology [email protected]