Laura Ment, MD, Awarded Yale Medicine Distinguished Clinical Career Award

The Yale Medicine Distinguished Clinical Career Award honors physicians who have contributed to Yale Medicine for at least 20 years since completing their fellowship training and whose careers are marked by significant accomplishments, exemplary dedication, and important contributions to advancing the practice, the overall medical profession, and the community. The award is intended to honor faculty members who are widely recognized as distinguished clinicians and who have devoted the main part of their careers to Yale.

Dr. Ment is an internationally recognized pediatric neurologist with a specific interest in neonatal medicine. Her pioneering work has fundamentally transformed understanding of the newborn brain, from fetal development to perinatal brain injury and infant neurodevelopment. Her contributions have had a direct and lasting impact on clinical practice, vastly improving the care and outcomes for the most vulnerable patients.

Dr. Ment received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Brown University and her medical degree from Tufts University. She completed her pediatric and neurology residencies at Massachusetts General Hospital, and in 1979, joined the faculty at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) in the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology. Since that time, she has held numerous impactful roles. Today Dr. Ment is professor of pediatrics (Neurology), associate dean of Admissions and Financial Aid and co-director of the Summer to Advance Research Training at Yale School of Medicine program.

A former member of the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NANDS) Council of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke at NIH and chair of its Clinical Trial Subcommittee, Dr. Ment’s research interests include adaptive mechanisms of developing brain. She was the principal investigator of two multicenter clinical studies exploring prevention of injury in preterm neonates, the long-term neurodevelopmental and neuroimaging sequelae of preterm birth, and the genetic mechanisms responsible for these changes. Her magnetic resonance studies investigate neural connectivity in the preterm brain and typically developing fetuses across the third trimester of gestation, and her most recent work employs state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging and emerging molecular technologies to identify sensitive, reliable, and actionable biomarkers of growth and maturation of the developing brain.

Dr. Ment’s research has consistently translated into enhanced clinical strategies and improved patient care, and for decades, has been funded consistently by NIH and extramural research sponsors. She has served on numerous committees and societies; authored hundreds of original research papers, book chapters, and comprehensive reviews; and received numerous YSM awards, including the Leah Lowenstein Award (twice), the Francis Gillman Blake Award, and the Class of 2006 Teaching Award. She also wrote the national application to develop the Neonatal Neurocritical Care (NNCC) Fellowship and serves as co-director of the NNCC Fellowship Task Force.

Dr. Ment’s colleagues describe her as “a powerhouse of clinical medicine- the consummate triple threat,” noting her exceptional patient care, cutting-edge research, and leadership in medical education as her strengths. Her patients are equally grateful for the care they receive from her, as evidenced in quotes like the following:

“Our son has been a patient of Dr. Ment for 21 years. He has a complicated medical history. Our journey has been made much easier under her watchful care and expertise. She is the most important doctor to us. Always compassionate, always available, always ready to help. We can’t thank her enough for her extraordinary care.”

Beyond her research, compassionate clinical acumen, and administrative leadership, Dr. Ment is a devoted mentor, influencing generations of trainees and early career faculty. Her dedication to her students along with her legacy of innovation and compassionate care continue to shape the future of pediatric neurology. Dr. Ment wishes to express her gratitude to all those past and present with whom she has served at YSM.