Canter named Tuttle and Hauck Professor

​Charles E. Canter, MD, has been named the first Lois B. Tuttle and Jeanne B. Hauck Chair in Pediatrics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The endowed professorship, established by a gift to St. Louis Children’s Hospital from the Lois B. Tuttle estate on behalf of Lois and her sister, Jeanne, will support research to improve the care of children with serious diseases.

“The generosity of the Tuttle and Hauck families is a reflection of their belief that we at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine make an important difference in the lives of children,” said Alan L. Schwartz, PhD, MD, the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor and head of pediatrics at the School of Medicine and pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital. “Charlie is a pioneer in the field of pediatric cardiology and medical management of children undergoing heart transplants. His innovative approaches to the care of children with heart failure and his superior clinical skills have made an enormous impact in the lives of children.”

Canter

Canter is internationally renowned for his expertise in pediatric cardiology and is largely responsible for developing the pediatric heart transplant program at the medical center.

“It is a great honor to be named to the chair,” says Canter, professor of pediatrics and medical director of the Heart Failure and Transplant Program at the School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital. “This family’s gift will allow us to continue our mission to provide children access to state-of-the-art cardiac care.”

Canter came to the medical center in 1979 as a medical resident and stayed to complete a fellowship in pediatric cardiology. He then worked briefly as a pediatrician in Clayton, Mo., before joining the faculty in 1984 as an instructor in pediatrics.

“We are indebted to the Tuttle and Hauck families for their commitment to St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” says hospital president Lee Fetter. “Charlie’s outstanding reputation and his strong clinical and teaching skills make him a wonderful choice for this professorship.”

The late Tuttle and Hauck sisters’ connection to Children’s Hospital goes back almost 85 years. In 1927, when she was just 4 days old, Jeanne was rushed to Children’s Hospital. A severe stomach ailment threatened her life.

During her weeklong hospital stay, Jeanne’s 10-year-old sister, Lois, kept company with nurses and other staff in the lobby while her parents vigilantly watched over Jeanne in her room. Throughout her life, Lois had fond memories of the nurses who cared for her sister.

When Jeanne’s parents, Judge and Mrs. Arthur Bader, brought her home to recuperate, Lois was ecstatic. She had anticipated the arrival of her baby sister for a long time, and the baby’s homecoming brought a mixture of great relief and joy.

Family-instilled values about philanthropy and a lifetime of gratitude for the life-saving care received at Children’s Hospital inspired these sisters to name the hospital as the primary beneficiary of their combined estates.

“This is an important gift,” Canter says. “It will allow us to ‘push the envelope’ in the development and application of new therapies for pediatric heart failure.”


Washington University School of Medicine’s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.