Robert Harley Notter, M.D., Ph.D.

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Dr. Notter's main area of research focuses on pulmonary surfactant, a substance in the lungs of humans and other air-breathing organisms that is essential for normal respiration. His clinical interests emphasize severe pulmonary diseases where lung surfactant is deficient or becomes dysfunctional. These diseases include the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) of premature infants, plus the lethal and widespread syndromes of clinical acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that can affect patients of all ages ranging from infants to adults. A major component of research is on the development and optimization of lung surfactant-based therapies for RDS, ALI, and ARDS. Research from Dr. Notter's laboratory over the past three decades has helped to establish clinically-effective surfactant replacement therapy for RDS in premature infants, and this is now being extended to patients with surfactant dysfunction and ALI/ARDS through the development of novel synthetic exogenous lung surfactants.

Key Words:

Development of Surfactant-based Therapies for Lung Disease and Injury in Infants,

Children, and Adults

Molecular Biophysics of Phospholipids and Proteins

Biomedical Engineering

Specialty

Neonatology

Current Appointments

• Professor - Department of Pediatrics (SMD)
• Professor - Department of Environmental Medicine (SMD)

Education
MD Medicine	University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry	1980
PhD Chemical Engineering	University of Washington	1969
MS Chemical Engineering	Stanford University	1965
BS Chemical Engineering	Stanford University	1964

Post-Doctoral Training & Residency
Bioengineering Postdoctoral Fellowship, NIH (NHLBI), University of Washington, Seattle, WA	1969 - 1971

Fellowship Awards
NIH (NHLBI) Fellowship Grant in Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA	1969 - 1971

Awards and Honors
Health Leadership Award in Research | March of Dimes	2005
Two time NIH Pulmonary SCOR Director (NHLBI)	1989 - 1997
Elected to Perinatal Research Society	1985
Research Career Development Award, National Lung Institute	1981 - 1986
Above the 95th percentile for total NIH research funding over the 25 year period 1980 - 2005.	1980 - 2005
Dinstinction in MD Research, University of Rochester School of Medicine	1980
NIH Young Investigator (National Lung Institute)	1975 - 1977
Outstanding Teacher in College of Engineering, Penn State University, PA	1975 - 1976
Outstanding Senior Chemical Engineer, Stanford University	1964
American Society for Testing Materials Award, Stanford University	1964
NSF Undergarduate Research Award, Stanford University	1962 - 1963