Pediatrician

Dr. Robert G. Holthaus, a retired pediatrician who cared for thousands of Baltimore-area children during his nearly 30-year career and a noted autograph collector, died Sunday of cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Glen Arm resident was 71. The son of a Baltimore police officer and a homemaker, Dr. Holthaus was born in Baltimore and raised in Highlandtown. He was a 1957 graduate of Patterson High School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1961.

As president of the Maryland chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its over 900 member physicians statewide, I am writing to express support for Dr. Jeffrey Cain's concerns surrounding pharmacy based clinics in your article, "The drugstore clinics debate" and their impact on patient centered medical homes. When children are seen in pharmacy based clinics, they are intrinsically not receiving the level of care provided by the child's primary care doctor. The medical home is best described as a model or philosophy of primary care that is patient-centered, comprehensive, team-based, coordinated, accessible and focused on quality and safety.

An appointment with a pediatrician Thursday was a "big relief" to Katie Bauer, whose seven-month pregnancy with rare "momo" twins was at first confusing and then exhausting. "It's all behind them, these guys are doing just fine," Dr. Joseph A. Garcia said after he finished immunizing Nolan and Brooks Bauer, identical boys who developed in the same fetal sac, exposing them to dangers not encountered during most pregnancies. The boys were born Feb. 13. Babies like Nolan and Brooks have at least one chance in 10 of dying during the last weeks of pregnancy or the first month after birth — so Garcia's upbeat assessment at two months was an important milestone for the Perry Hall family.

Teira Pendleton's fierce competitive streak shows on her face in every Poly basketball game. Intensely focused and in the moment, her physical inside presence has been a factor on both sides of the ball as the No. 8 Engineers advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals for the second year in a row. The 5-foot-8 junior forward-guard leads a young team into Thursday's 3 p.m. state semifinal at UMBC against Walt Whitman with 12.5 points and 8.4 rebounds...

Services for Dr. Herman J. Dorf, a retired pediatrician, will be held at 3 p.m. today at the Sol Levinson and Bros. funeral establishment, 6010 Reisterstown Road.Dr. Dorf, who was 98 and lived at Levindale, died of pneumonia yesterday at Sinai Hospital.He retired more than 20 years ago from a practice that included 28 years as chief of pediatrics at the old St. Joseph Hospital in East Baltimore.Dr. Dorf was on the staff of St. Agnes Hospital for more than 25 years and had worked in state baby clinics and in the clinic of the Babies Milk Fund Association.

Dr. Dawn F. Audi-Racke, a Towson pediatrician, died of cancer Monday at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. The Sparks resident was 42. Born Dawn Freida Audi in Johnstown, Pa., she earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Haverford College. While a student there, she met Dr. Frederick K. Racke, a Johns Hopkins Hospital pathologist. They married in 1987. She earned her medical degree at Pennsylvania State University at Hershey and did her residency at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland.

An Ellicott City pediatrician is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 6 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on charges of tax perjury. Dr. Alfredo J. Herrera, 53, of the 2900 block of Poland Springs Drive was accused in an indictment last week of lying on state tax returns he filed for 1996, 1997 and 1998. The indictment alleges that Herrera tried to evade taxes by claiming personal expenses as business expenses. The Maryland attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, refused to elaborate on the charges - each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Babies can develop complications so quickly that sometimes even fiveminutes is too long to wait for expert care.So whether it's noonor 3 a.m., there is a doctor in the house at Carroll County General Hospital who specializes in infants and children.The pediatrician might be in the nursery, the pediatric ward or the small room next to the nursery that has a desk, a chair and a bed for the overnight shift.One year after starting an in-house pediatrician program, the hospital has worked up to 24-hour coverage.

Dr. Stanley L. Blumenthal, a retired pediatrician, died Friday of cardiac arrest at his North Baltimore home. He was 83, and had been under treatment for multiple myeloma. Born in Baltimore and raised on Reisterstown Road, he was a 1936 graduate of City College. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a degree in biology and played football and lacrosse. He attended the Hopkins School of Medicine and had his internship in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr. Raymond Leopold Clemmens, a retired pediatrician, died Friday of a heart attack at his Towson home. He was 76.Dr. Clemmens was director of the Central Evaluation Clinic for Children at the Walter P. Carter Center in Baltimore from 1958 to 1984, and professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine from 1954 until his retirement in 1985.He was renowned in the fields of atypical child development, hyperactivity and behavioral and learning problems in childhood, and was the co-author of "Behavioral Pediatrics and Child Development."

Maryland's pediatricians applaud President Barack Obama for his leadership in the wake of the gun violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. ("Obama pledges fight for gun laws," Jan. 17). The president's federal policy recommendations represent a necessary national commitment to addressing gun violence prevention and mental health access in a comprehensive, meaningful way. We are pleased that the president accepted American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations provided during our Jan. 3 meeting with the White House Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention.

Your recent editorial, "County campaign against sugary drinks goes too far," is way off the mark. On behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics Maryland Chapter and our almost 900 members statewide, I want to support Howard County Executive Ken Ulman for setting strong nutritional standards for the beverages sold on county property. Consumption of sugary drinks has been linked to obesity and the chronic diseases that are killing most Marylanders. Because of Mr. Ulman's actions, food and drinks served to young people by county departments in after-school programs, recreation and parks programs, in county parks and in county libraries will now be more healthy.

The parents of hundreds of victims streamed into a Baltimore law office, detailing abuse at the hands of a Delaware pediatrician convicted last year of sexual attacks on children. The Baltimore firm of Schochor, Federico & Staton helped negotiate a $123 million settlement for almost 900 victims — including about 100 from the Eastern Shore — who have come forward to claim a share of the compensation fund for Earl B. Bradley's victims. The pediatrician abused young patients in his office, sometimes videotaping the attacks.

No parent would ever intentionally leave a child in a steaming car on a hot summer day. But it happens every year to astounded parents. Dr. Melissa Sparrow, clinical director of pediatric inpatient and emergency services at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, talks about what can happen when babies are left in hot cars and how to prevent it. How common a problem is kids getting left in hot cars? Kids getting left in cars is fairly common, but the incidence of death from being left in a hot car is the number we can clearly articulate.

An appointment with a pediatrician Thursday was a "big relief" to Katie Bauer, whose seven-month pregnancy with rare "momo" twins was at first confusing and then exhausting. "It's all behind them, these guys are doing just fine," Dr. Joseph A. Garcia said after he finished immunizing Nolan and Brooks Bauer, identical boys who developed in the same fetal sac, exposing them to dangers not encountered during most pregnancies. The boys were born Feb. 13. Babies like Nolan and Brooks have at least one chance in 10 of dying during the last weeks of pregnancy or the first month after birth — so Garcia's upbeat assessment at two months was an important milestone for the Perry Hall family.

Dr. Ronald L. Gutberlet, a retired pediatrician who was a specialist in the care of premature infants, died of metastatic bladder cancer Wednesday at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. The Cockeysville resident was 78. Born in Baltimore, he attended the Cathedral School and was a 1952 Loyola High School graduate. He earned a degree at Washington and Lee University and received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1961. Dr. Gutberlet completed his residency at the University of Maryland and spent time as a young physician at Mercy Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, where he later returned.

Dr. Michelle A. Leverett projects the kind of image Baltimore County would like to reclaim: young, enthusiastic, energetic.The 32-year-old Johns Hopkins pediatrician is the choice of County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger III to become director of the county Health Department.The selection -- subject to approval by the state health department -- fulfills a promise Mr. Ruppersberger made in February to the Baltimore County West Ministerial Alliance, an association of black ministers, to seek a black department head.

Dr. Sherman Samuel Robinson, a retired pediatrician who had been the athletics physician for Severna Park High School, died of cancer Monday at his Edgewater home. He was 79. Born in Pittsfield, Mass., and raised on Staten Island, N.Y., he earned a degree in biology and chemistry from Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. He also belonged to the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was a 1957 graduate of the Georgetown University School of Medicine. While at Georgetown he met his future wife, Joan McCarron.

Dr. Edwin H. T. Besson, a retired pediatrician who was the former chairman of the St. Agnes Hospital pediatric department, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, Dec. 4 at his Ellicott City home. He was 85. In a memoir, he recalled that after his birth in Carbondale, Pa., he often moved with his family and wound up living in the small town of Stockton in Worcester County. His family had suffered economic hardship in the Depression and they lost their home.