Ralph F. Wetmore Jr., retired head and neck surgeon, professor emeritus, and trustee at CHOP, has died at 71
He did groundbreaking research on sudden infant death syndrome, treated thousands of children, and helped make Children's Hospital of Philadelphia a global leader in pediatric medicine.
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Ralph F. Wetmore Jr., 71, formerly of Doylestown, retired head and neck surgeon at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, former chief of CHOP’s division of otolaryngology and president of the medical staff, professor emeritus, researcher, trustee, and author, died Saturday, Sept. 3, of Lewy body dementia at his home in Johns Island, S.C.
Dr. Wetmore began his celebrated 40-year career at CHOP immediately after graduating from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and completing his postgraduate training and surgical fellowship at Penn.
He treated ear, nose, and throat ailments in thousands of children, was influential in helping CHOP become a worldwide leader in pediatric medicine, and held the hospital’s E. Mortimer Newlin endowed chair in pediatric otolaryngology and human communication from 2008 until his retirement in 2020.
“He had a wonderful mind,” said his son, Rick. “He was a scientist first and foremost.”
Dr. Wetmore instructed hundreds of medical students, residents, and fellows at CHOP and Penn; authored or coauthored more than 100 scholarly articles about voice disorders, respiratory abnormalities, and other ailments in children; and won the 1993 Edmund Prince Fowler Award from the Triological Society for his pioneering research on sudden infant death syndrome.
Known by colleagues and friends for his “no-nonsense teaching style and patience” and “charismatic smile with a matching wit,” Dr. Wetmore easily and repeatedly made personal connections and lifelong friendships. He rescued a choking diner in a restaurant one night and attended to victims of a car crash he came upon.
A friend said in an online tribute: “Ralph embodied the very best in all of us.”
He was on the editorial board of the World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery and past president of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology and the Society for Ear Nose and Throat Advancement in Children. In a 2017 paper published in the World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, he wrote: “While tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy have become much safer in the past 50 years, postoperative complications still exist but can be minimized by careful history-taking, good surgical technique, and excellent attention to detail postoperatively.”
In an online tribute, a friend called him “an incredibly accomplished, brilliant physician with a heart of gold and the warmest of personalities.” Another friend said: “I never really saw him angry or heard him raise his voice with anyone.” His favorite saying was: “Don’t poke skunks.”
Born Nov. 23, 1950, in Allentown, Ralph Frederick Wetmore Jr. graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in geology and earned his medical degree at Penn in 1976.
He married Mary Cantalupo in 1976, and they had son Rick and daughter Alicia. After a divorce, he met Melinda DeMoss at CHOP, and they married in 2009. He lived in Secane, Wayne, Haverford, and Doylestown before moving to Johns Island after he retired.
Dr. Wetmore was an avid reader who wrote unpublished novels about science fiction and history. A film enthusiast, one of his favorites was Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and he wrote movie reviews for CHOP’s operating room newsletter for years. Staff at a nearby movie theater knew him by sight.
He binge-watched the Weather Channel, cheered for the team and wore his green Eagles hoodie constantly, enthusiastically attended concerts by James Taylor, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga, and adopted dogs from rescue shelters. He liked to hash over life’s issues with his family, and lovingly signed every card in person that his florist sent with the flowers he bought for his wife.
“My dad was incomparable in so many ways,” his son said. “He treated everyone, regardless of who they were in the world, with great respect and dignity. … His vibrant, lovable spirit will live on in all of us forever.”
In addition to his wife, children, and former wife, Dr. Wetmore is survived by two grandsons, a sister, and other relatives.
Services were Sept. 13.
Donations in his name may be made to Penn’s Digital Neuropathology Lab. Address checks to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Neurology. Write “In memory of Dr. Ralph Wetmore” on the comment line and mail to Paige O’Malley, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.