Block to be Honored by March of Dimes

September 3, 2004

Stephen M. Block, M.D., professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and medical director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Brenner Children’s Hospital, will be honored at a testimonial dinner on Sept. 9 at Forsyth Country Club. Each year, the March of Dimes bestows this honor on a member of the medical community whose work has involved and benefited the mission of the March of Dimes, which is to prevent birth defects and infant mortality. Block has been practicing in Winston-Salem for more than two decades. His clinical interests include reducing the length of hospitalization in premature infants, neonatal transfusion therapy, nitric oxide in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension and the effect of music therapy on the stress of premature infants.

“Block’s interests tie directly into our ongoing prematurity campaign,” said Bunny Wilson, a representative from the March of Dimes.

The March of Dimes is investing $75 million in research and education and awareness programs to find the causes of premature birth, and to develop ways to save babies from being born too soon. The campaign is also advocating a five-year funding increase of $50 million to support prematurity-related research being supported by the National Institutes of Health.

For ticket information, call the March of Dimes at 723-4386. All proceeds of the black-tie event will benefit the March of Dimes. The event is sponsored by Brenner Children's Hospital & Health Services.

Media Contact: March of Dimes: Mariedith Appanaitis (336) 946-2014.

About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Brenner Children’s Hospital. It is licensed to operate 1,282 acute care, rehabilitation, psychiatry and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. Brenner Children’s was named one of the top 30 best children’s hospitals in the nation by Child magazine.

Media Relations

Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587