Washington University School of Medicine Oral Histories
Brian S. Carter Oral History
Interviewer
Bryan Sisk MD, MSCI
Files
Download Interview Transcript [PDF] (135 KB)
Summary
Brian S. Carter was interviewed by Brian Sisk on August 23, 2019 for approximately one hour and 2 minutes for the Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project.
Scope and Content
Dr. Brian Carter begins the interview describing his early career journey exploring the intersectionality of bioethics and neonatology. Dr. Carter viewed some of the early practices of intensivists to “resuscitate people until they die” as exceptionally “egregious,” which prompted him to feel ‘ an obligation. . . to make inroads [to neonatal and pediatric palliative care] via the route of ethics: making better choices, trying to discern [the] right action.’
Dr. Carter then describes the evolution of early practices in neonatology that were visibly distressing to babies, and how the work of him and his peers around children experiencing pain began to change best practices in the field. This scholarly work in the fields of neonatal and pediatric pain helped to create systematic changes to pediatrics, including requiring pain and symptom management for children to be a part of hospital accreditation.
Dr. Carter concludes the interview by describing two of his dreams for the field of pediatric palliative care that would be beneficial to all children, families, and caregivers. The first dream is the ability for families to access hospital-level respite care for chronically and seriously ill children who require advanced medical technologies. The second dream is for increased access to pediatric hospices where children and families could go and be supported at the time of the child’s death.
Biographical Information: Interviewee
Brian S. Carter is a 1979 graduate (Magna cum Laude) of David Lipscomb College in Nashville, TN and a 1983 graduate (With Honors) of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He is a board-certified Neonatologist who has practiced in academic medicine for 30 years. He is also trained in bioethics and palliative care.
His current practice focuses on providing follow-up care to NICU graduates and serving as a consultant neonatologist in the Fetal Health Center, where he counsels families. He is the local PI for the NIH funded multi-site Environmental impacts on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) study of a cohort of babies born <30 weeks’ gestation. He publishes, lectures, and teaches in biomedical ethics and is the Co-Director of the CMH Certificate Program in Pediatric Bioethics. He is a pioneer in pediatric palliative, having contributed to the field for 20 years, and presently focuses on neonatal-perinatal palliative care. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and 30 book chapters addressing pediatric and neonatal care, ethics and palliative care, and is a contributing author and editor of Merenstein & Gardner’s Handbook of Neonatal Intensive Care, the 1st textbook on pediatric palliative care: Palliative Care for Infants, Children & Adolescents, and the 1st textbook on neonatal-perinatal palliative care: Handbook of Perinatal & Neonatal Palliative Care.
Dr. Carter is a past chairman of the AAP’s Section on Hospice & Palliative Medicine and has received honors from the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (2003), the William A. Silverman Lecture in Ethics from the Pediatric Academic Societies (2008), and in 2018 he received the William T. and Marjorie Sirridge Endowed Professorship in Medical Humanities & Bioethics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Medicine. He previously served on the faculty of Vanderbilt University and the Medical College of Georgia after retiring from the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1996.
Biographical Information: Interviewer
Bryan Sisk, MD, MSCI is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and an Assistant Professor in General Medical Sciences as a member of the Bioethics Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his clinical training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sisk was a clinical fellow in pediatric hematology and oncology when he initiated this Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project. As a trainee, Dr. Sisk had a strong interest in palliative care, the approach to the suffering of children, and the history of medicine. Prior to initiating this project, Dr. Sisk performed an in-depth review of the development of pediatric palliative care as a discipline and philosophy. This research culminated in a publication entitled, “Response to Suffering of the Seriously Ill Child: A History of Palliative Care for Children” in the journal Pediatrics. However, this historical review was limited to textbooks and publications. It lacked the personal experience of caring for these children and inspiring the development of a new clinical discipline. Inspired by David Clark’s oral history of the adult hospice movement, Dr. Sisk began to plan this pediatric oral history project.
Of note, this collection of oral histories is incomplete, and many important figures have not (yet) been interviewed. Dr. Sisk’s goal is to continue adding to this collection create a rich repository of personal insights and wisdom from leaders who changed the field of pediatrics.
Interview Date
2019-08-23
Collection Identifier
OH154-S04
Length
Approximately one hour and 2 minutes.
Restrictions
Users wishing to publish (in whole, or in part) content taken from the audio or transcript of this oral history interview must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Becker Archives. For detailed information regarding publication and use of this oral history, contact the Becker Archives (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).
Recommended Citation
Brian S. Carter Oral History, OH154-S04, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Disclaimer
The Becker Archives provides access to this oral history interview as a record of the past. This interview reflects the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of the interview participants, which may reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. The Becker Archives does not endorse the views expressed in this interview, which may contain materials offensive to some users.
Notes
Access to the audio recording for this oral history may be obtained via approval of the archivists at Becker Library. Contact the archives for more information (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).