You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has provided greater advocacy for early pediatric medical intervention than Dr. Albert Mehl ’77. The former Tiger had a long career as an eminent pediatrician and a leader in understanding the need for newborn hearing screening and early intervention. And it started in his time as a Chemistry major at CC.
“My years at Colorado College didn’t magically create in me a new intellectual curiosity, but I look back at those years as a catalyst for me as a young and energetic learner,” says Dr. Mehl. “The Colorado College experience taught me the value of being thorough, and of searching out the missing pieces of whatever puzzle arises. It honed in me the writing skills that would not only report cogently on scientific data and analysis, but could also influence lawmakers and public health leaders. And those years at Colorado College, even now, speak to me about a spirit of activism and involvement over an acceptance of complacency and routine.”
After only three years at CC, thanks to his multiple AP credits, Mehl was able to apply to medical school. He was accepted at the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver and, following completion of medical school and a subsequent three-year residency in pediatrics, he joined a small private practice. These early years also included a marriage and the addition of two children to his life. Soon after, he left his practice for the prepaid, not-for-profit healthcare model of Kaiser Permanente and worked there for three decades.
“I think of my years at CC as an immersion in the pursuit of excellence, lived in an environment of newness and exploration. Classwork was challenging, of course, and I was motivated to rise to the high expectations of a respected institution and a committed faculty.”
Dr. Albert Mehl ’77
During this time, Mehl played a key role in one of the earliest trials of screening and intervention for newborn hearing loss. Results of that trial showed that the condition was much more common than previously thought, and Mehl became an advocate for performing a hearing test on every newborn. As a result of his work, early intervention is now the norm, and children who are born deaf or hard of hearing show dramatically improved outcomes.
“Many experts already knew the nature of the problem, and many scientists and engineers who came before me had perfected the technology to test every newborn baby. But only a small handful of those already involved were physicians, and the lack of physician buy-in was a great barrier,” says Mehl. “In this life, we sometimes find ourselves in a position to make a difference, and I realized it was my turn to carry the flame in a relay of torchbearers.”
Mehl went on to chair the Colorado Infant Hearing Committee, join the U.S. Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, co-author some of the early publications on newborn hearing screening, advocate for the support of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and speak on the issue across the U.S. and abroad. He notes that he is thankful for the flexibility of Kaiser Permanente, allowing him to further his advocacy.
And while these are all great accomplishments, Mehl says that the ones most important to him are not the ones the world saw.
“It is humbling to think that one might leave a lasting impact on the lives of thousands of children who are born deaf or hard of hearing each year, rewarding even more so to think of the parents and families of those children, all of whom are living with dramatically better outcomes than were previously thought possible,” says Mehl. “And yet, over and above the opportunity to be part of that grand effort, I am prouder still of the quiet closed-door office visits of my pediatric practice over three decades. One child at a time, one parent at a time, one new illness or minor injury or routine check-up at a time, I am proud of bringing a careful listening ear and an excellence in medical intervention to every one of those encounters. Through 30-plus years of pediatric practice, those simple, private encounters number about a quarter million visits. I’m proud to think that I tried to bring my best game to every one of those interactions.”
Now retired, Mehl looks back on his professional years with pride and his college years with great fondness.
“I think of my years at CC as an immersion in the pursuit of excellence, lived in an environment of newness and exploration,” says Mehl. “Classwork was challenging, of course, and I was motivated to rise to the high expectations of a respected institution and a committed faculty. At the same time, I have rich memories of the many activities on the fringe of academic pursuits, including impromptu music jams, intramural hockey games, dances in the fraternity house basement, participation on the swim team and golf team, concerts and theatre events, a late evening in the pottery lab or a morning workout on the trampoline.”