Dr. Phillip C. Etches Neonatology Legacy Award

 

About the Dr. Philip C. Etches Neonatology (Legacy) Award

Dr. Philip C. Etches was a consultant neonatologist and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta and a man of profound integrity, compassion, and social conscience. He completed his medical training at Cambridge University (graduating with First Class Honours) and at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. He subsequently pursued a career in Pediatrics with subspecialization in Neonatology. He and his wife, Dr. Wai Etches, came to Edmonton in 1980 where he joined the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. Based primarily at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, he helped establish and lead one of the foremost neonatal units in Canada.

Dr. Etches’ vision was to build and develop a new, state-of-the-art NICU at the RAH, serving communities from Northern and Central Alberta, as well as Northern British Columbia and the Canadian North. He led the team in planning, design, and building a new 69-bed NICU at the RAH, the largest in Canada. On April 1, 2021, the Stollery Children’s Hospital/Alberta Health Services renamed the unit in Phil’s honour as the ‘Philip C. Etches Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’ in recognition of his leadership, dedication, and vision.

Dr. Etches made enormous strides in advancing the care of infants and their families through clinical practice quality improvement using population-based data. To support this goal, he developed programs and infrastructure which continue to inform and improve current NICU care. He played a key role in the development of a novel therapy, inhaled nitric oxide, which has become the standard of care for near-term and term neonates with severe respiratory failure since early 2000. Countless lives have been saved by this therapy. He also worked tirelessly at the provincial level to improve perinatal care, and along with several colleagues, was instrumental in establishment of the Alberta Perinatal Program.

Dr. Etches was highly respected by local, national, and international peers, colleagues of the Edmonton neonatal program, and families. He was an exemplary role model for trainees who always inspired excellence. His compassionate approach that recognized the role of every member of the team, providing time for everyone, set a precedent for the highest standard of ethical and humanistic leadership in care. He was recognized for significant contributions to Neonatology in Alberta with the Capital Health REACH award for Achieving Performance Excellence (2006) and the Alberta Medical Association Member Emeritus status (2006).

Dr. Wai Etches and their son, Dr. Nick Etches, created this award to recognize learners and trainees in Neonatology and related fields who demonstrate exceptional humanity, compassion, professionalism, and ethical practice, in recognition of the legacy of Dr. Philip C. Etches.

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