Philip Sunshine, 94, Pioneering Neonatologist Who Transformed Premature Infant Care, Dies

Dr. Philip Sunshine, a Stanford University physician who helped establish neonatology as a medical specialty and revolutionized the treatment of premature infants and critically ill newborns, died on April 5 at his home in Cupertino, Calif. He was 94.

Philip Sunshine
Dr. Philip Sunshine

Before the 1960s, premature and critically ill newborns had very less chances of survival, and many insurance companies refused to cover their care. But Dr. Sunshine, originally a pediatric gastroenterologist, believed these fragile lives could be saved. At Stanford, he advocated for a multidisciplinary approach to treating preemies, pushing for the creation of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and pioneering the use of specialized formula and ventilators to support these infants.

тАЬWe were able to keep babies alive that would not have survived,тАЭ he recalled in a 2000 oral history with the American Academy of Pediatrics. тАЬAnd now everybody just sort of takes this for granted.тАЭ

The early 1960s marked a turning point. In 1963, President John F. KennedyтАЩs son Patrick died 39 hours after being born six weeks premature, a national tragedy that brought neonatal care into the spotlight. тАЬThe Kennedy story was a big turning point,тАЭ Dr. Sunshine said in a 1998 interview with AHA News. тАЬAfter that, federal research money for neonatal care became much easier to get.тАЭ

By then, Stanford had already launched one of the first neonatology departments in the country. Dr. Sunshine became its chief in 1967, leading the department until 1989. Over his long career, he trained generations of doctors who went on to serve in NICUs across the world.

When he retired in 2022, at age 92, the survival rate for babies born at 28 weeks had soared to over 90 percent тАФ a dramatic leap from when he began his work.

Philip Sunshine
A founder of neonatology, Philip Sunshine helped revolutionize the care of preterm and critically ill newborns.

тАЬPhilip is one of the тАШoriginalsтАЩ in neonatology, a neonatologistтАЩs neonatologist, one of our historyтАЩs best,тАЭ wrote Dr. David K. Stevenson, his successor, in the Journal of Perinatology in 2011.

тАЬHe stands comfortably among the great leaders in neonatology and is more than simply a pioneer. He is one of the creators of our discipline.тАЭ

Dr. Sunshine recognized that caring for preemies required both technical expertise and human connection. He urged hospitals to let parents visit NICUs and hold their babies, sensing early on the benefits of skin-to-skin contact. He also championed the role of nurses, giving them more autonomy and encouraging them to voice concerns.

тАЬOur nurses have always been very important caretakers,тАЭ he said. тАЬOften, they would recognize problems in the baby before the physicians would. We were learning neonatology together.тАЭ

Philip Sunshine was born on June 16, 1930, in Denver, to Samuel and Mollie Sunshine, who owned a pharmacy. He earned his bachelorтАЩs and medical degrees from the University of Colorado, completing his residency at Stanford. He later served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy before returning to Stanford in 1959. He trained under Louis Gluck, a pediatrician who later developed the modern neonatal intensive care unit at Yale University.

тАЬHe turned me on to caring for newborns and made everything sound so interesting,тАЭ Dr. Sunshine once said.

In many ways, his surname тАФ Sunshine тАФ became a symbol of the warmth and hope he brought to the most vulnerable patients and their families.

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