[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 7, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF DR. T. BERRY BRAZELTON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 7, 2016

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and 
accomplishments of Dr. Thomas Berry Brazelton. Throughout his 98 years, 
Dr. Brazelton has been celebrated as a critically acclaimed leader in 
pediatric medicine and a change-maker in the lives of countless 
Massachusetts families.
  Although Dr. Brazelton was born in Waco, Texas, the Bay State has 
been lucky to claim him as its own since 1945, when he completed his 
residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In the decades 
since, Dr. Brazelton became a pioneering expert in neonatal behavior, 
authoring more than 200 journal articles and textbook chapters on the 
subject. Any parent might recognize his name from one of his thirty 
books on child development and parenting.
  However, his primary contribution to the medical community is the 
Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. The scale itself is a 
metric to highlight behavioral differences among newborns within the 
first months of their lives. His methods drew the parallel between 
differing parental methods and infant behavioral development in the 
first four months of a child's life. These discoveries led to his 
recognition as a tireless advocate for paternal and medical leave, 
bringing him from the halls of Congress to interviews with Oprah 
Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres to advance that cause. His work earned him 
a Presidential Citation from President Obama in February of 2013. 
Today, Dr. Brazelton remains an active member of the pediatric medicine 
community. He has become a fixture at the Baby Center in Hyannis, 
helping the underprivileged parents of Cape Cod provide for their 
children.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, not 
simply for his dedicated service to the communities of Massachusetts, 
but for the work he has done for families across the globe.

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