William Northway

{{Short description|American pediatric radiologist (1932–2022)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

William H. Northway Jr. (November 26, 1932 – January 26, 2022{{Cite web |last=Erickson |first=Mandy |date=February 14, 2022 |title=Radiologist William Northway, whose research changed care for premature babies, dies at 89 |url=https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/02/radiologist-william-northway-dies.html |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=Stanford Medicine}}) was an American pediatric radiologist. He is known for describing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease "caused by barotrauma and oxygen injury in preterm infants requiring mechanical ventilation."{{Citation |last1=Sahni |first1=Mitali |title=Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia |date=2023 |work=StatPearls |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539879/ |access-date=May 11, 2025 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=30969701 |last2=Mowes |first2=Anja K.}}

Northway was born in San Francisco, California. After receiving his medical degree from Stanford School of Medicine in 1957, he completed his residency in radiology and then studied at the University of Paris.{{Cite journal |last=Vasanawala |first=Shreyas S. |last2=Barth |first2=Richard A. |last3=Parker |first3=Bruce R. |date=May 1, 2022 |title=William H. Northway, MD (1932–2022) |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00247-022-05320-y |journal=Pediatric Radiology |volume=52 |issue=5 |pages=1011–1012 |doi=10.1007/s00247-022-05320-y |issn=1432-1998}} In 1964, after returning to Stanford University Medical Center—where he spoke with neonatologist Philip Sunshine—Northway noted a consistent pattern of cystic changes in the lungs in radiographs of premature infants. He discovered that the infants had all received mechanical ventilation and high-concentration supplemental oxygen, causing damage to the lungs. In 1967, Northway, Robert Rosan, and David Porter described the disease, coining it bronchopulmonary dysplasia. They also "acknowledged other comorbidities of BPD, including retinopathy of prematurity and brain injury."{{Cite journal |last=Abman |first=Steven H. |last2=Bancalari |first2=Eduardo |last3=Jobe |first3=Alan |date=February 15, 2017 |title=The Evolution of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia after 50 Years |url=https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201611-2386ED |journal=American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine |volume=195 |issue=4 |pages=421–424 |doi=10.1164/rccm.201611-2386ED |issn=1073-449X|url-access=subscription }} Their article has been called "one of the most important, most cited, and influential articles in the history of neonatology"; it influenced neonatal care worldwide, leading to reduced ventilation pressure and supplemental oxygen levels in premature infants to improve their health outcomes.

Awards Northway received include:

• 1998 – Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) Pioneer Award
• 2003 – Society for Pediatric Radiology Gold Medal
• 2005 – J. E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award by Stanford University
• 2006 – Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Distinguished Medical Staff Award
• 2017 – Neonatal Landmark Award by the American Academy of Pediatrics{{Cite web |title=Awards and History |url=https://www.aap.org/en/community/aap-sections/sonpm/neonatologists/awards--history/ |access-date=May 11, 2025 |website=American Academy of Pediatrics}}