Dr. John A. Clements, a groundbreaking researcher, transformed neonatal care with his discovery of the cause behind neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Before his discovery, RDS claimed the lives of nearly 10,000 infants in the U.S. annually, including Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, son of President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.
In the late 1940s, while working for the U.S. Army, Clements discovered the role of surfactants—slippery substances crucial for lung function—in newborns. He found that premature babies lacked these surfactants, leading to life-threatening RDS.
Although the discovery was revolutionary, developing an effective treatment was challenging. Clements eventually developed synthetic surfactants, which were approved by the FDA in 1990, drastically reducing the mortality rate from RDS to about 5%. Clements’ contributions earned him the 1994 Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award, and he generously donated his prize to UNICEF.
Even after retirement, Clements remained active in research and mentoring at the University of California, San Francisco, until his passing in 2024 at the age of 101.