That was my Mom. She would often say, “I am really pretty simple.”
To which I as her daughter said, “simply hard-working, simply kind, and simply inspiring.”
--Laura Beth Blythe Liu
Her own words and the words of her daughter tell the story of the life course of Dr. Maggie Blythe, a course that was simple, straight, and true. From the time she was ten years old when Maggie read the biographical account by Dorothy Clarke Wilson of Dr. Ida Scudder’s medical work in India to support women’s health, she was a little girl with a dream on fire to become a doctor for girls and women facing difficult circumstances. Maggie would realize that dream and become a doctor who helped adolescents and teens throughout Indiana, nationwide, and across the world access education and medical care that helped them to lead healthier lives and realize better futures.
She was a native daughter of the small southern Indiana town of Clarksville. Maggie grew up there, the oldest of seven children where she walked to and from elementary school and earned the money to pay for her education after high school. She headed to Indianapolis to pursue her dream where she graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1972. She and her husband, Jerry Blythe, met as first year medical students where they enjoyed studying and running together in Bloomington’s Dunn Meadow. They married months after graduation in 1972, a marriage that would last 45 years until Maggie’s passing in 2018. Maggie loved to run and being seven months pregnant in 1976 didn’t stop her from winning first place in the Indianapolis Joggers’ Day for women, a not surprising indication of her determination and diligence to pursue what she loved.
Maggie’s determination to succeed as a doctor is reflected in her medical career trajectory after graduation from medical school. She completed her residency at Riley Hospital in 1975. She was Chief Resident in Pediatrics from 1974-1975. In 1975, Maggie joined the General Pediatric Faculty at the Indiana University School of Medicine, working at Wishard Hospital; she staffed Wishard outpatient clinics, Wishard Normal Newborn and Special Care Nurseries and Wishard inpatient wards.
Her reading of the now classic 1978 Pediatrics article by C. Henry Kempe on “Sexual Abuse: Another Hidden Pediatric Problem,” drove Maggie to begin physical examinations of allegedly sexual abuse of pre-pubertal children. Her pathway to being a voice for and providing medical care for adolescents and teens was taking shape.
In 1984-1985, she became the first physician to complete a fellowship in adolescent medicine at Riley Hospital for Children. Maggie’s dedication to caring for young people was inspiring to all who worked with her. Her first love was always clinical medicine and she integrated this into her research project. She was instrumental in establishing a working relationship with Dr. Robert Jones in the Division of Infectious Disease in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Jones’ research interest was Chlamydia trachomatis, a sexually transmitted organism (STI) that was thought to be very common. Little was known about how it affected adolescents. Her fellowship publication on the epidemiology of chlamydia as an STI was among the first large studies in adolescents and helped testing for it become a standard component of adolescent health care. The research relationship with the Division of Infectious Disease continued and formed the basis for multiple federally funded research projects. Maggie’s work helped millions of teens throughout the world.
During her fellowship, she continued working in the Wishard teen clinic and began seeing adolescents in the newly created Marion County Department of Health teen clinics (created with support of a Robert Wood Johnson grant to consolidate Health Services for high-risk adolescents and the adolescent medicine program within Riley Hospital). After her fellowship, Maggie joined the Adolescent faculty at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Maggie worked briefly in the private health care sector but returned to the Wishard Hospital program in general pediatrics, providing services for teens there and began what eventually became a Riley Hospital gynecology clinic. She took over the Marion County teen health program when it was transferred to Wishard Hospital and expanded the number of clinics throughout the county serving high risk youth who had little access to health care. This program became one of the largest and most comprehensive for underserved teens in the United States and remains integral to Riley Hospital’s Section of Adolescent Medicine.
Maggie spearheaded the founding of the first adolescent medical services in the State of Indiana, the Teen Health and Wellness Program at Wishard Hospital, for which she was named Medical Director from 1992 to 2011. There, she developed a model of excellence that provided multidisciplinary comprehensive medical services within a primary care setting for those adolescents with the greatest needs.
Maggie’s colleague at the time, Dr. Philip F. Merk, now Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Clinical Emergency Medicine Emeritus, recalled that at the time, “There were just not enough pediatric adolescent faculty. Maggie, essentially on her own, developed if not the top clinical adolescent program in the country for an inner city, it was awfully close.” As Dr. Merk explained “And to do these things and to do it right, you’d get people … many of the people were together, in clinic together.” “Suppose our colleague, Frances Gray, was having a clinic of her own and as a primary care physician, she was seeing an adolescent. That kind of closeness made it possible for Frances to go down the hall and say, “hey, Maggie, I’ve got this patient with this and this and this. So that’s how people learned initially.”
From what Maggie was able to learn at Wishard, she then extended this clinic model into communities of school health and juvenile justice and related foster care systems to ensure the health and well-being of some of the most disenfranchised adolescent populations. With financial support of Marion County Health and Hospital Board, Riley Hospital for Children, and the Marion County Juvenile Justice Court, Maggie developed a network of adolescent services that are computer-linked, connecting seven community clinics, five school-based clinics, and a 24/7 clinic at a juvenile detention center that serves teens and their families. Maggie was instrumental in the training of hundreds of pediatric and Med/Peds residents in the course of the development of this program. Additionally, Maggie organized a young women’s consultation clinic at Riley Hospital for Children and at Riley Hospital North
Dr. Blythe’s passionate voice for adolescent health was heard at the national level as well. She was an invited speaker at many national professional meetings and flagship conferences; served on many advisory boards and committees, including serving as Chair of the Committee on Adolescence for the American Academy of Pediatrics that she represented through testimony at the U.S. House of Representatives and at the Institute of Medicine, and testified as well at the Indiana legislature on behalf of the health needs of adolescents. When Dr. Blythe got a call in April 2008 from the Academy’s federal
affairs office asking her to testify before a congressional committee her first thought was “Oh my gosh!” And then, “This is something I have to do.” With her congressional debut, as chair of the AAP Committee on Adolescence, she joined a parade of pediatricians going to Capitol Hill to advocate and educate lawmakers and the public alike on issues important to children’s health and well-being. Dr. Blythe held her own at a sometimes-contentious congressional hearing on the problems of abstinence-only education. As Dr. Blythe explained in her testimony that unlike abstinence-only education, “comprehensive sexuality education emphasizes abstinence as the best option for adolescents, but also provides age-appropriate, medically accurate discussion and information for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies.”
Her advocacy extended also through her teaching, wise leadership, requested input, and writing of many publications, including the CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease treatment guidelines, the AAP’s Redbook, AAP’s position statements as well as numerous book chapters, review articles, and peer-reviewed articles.
Along the way, Maggie’s work brought her state and national recognition. She was chosen as the 2009 recipient of the Founders of Adolescent Health Community Leadership Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Section of Adolescent Health. This award recognizes exemplary achievement on behalf of adolescents on a local level. She also received the 2009 Indiana Commission of Women’s Torchbearer Award, given to Indiana women who have made significant contributions to the State of Indiana, based on demonstrated achievement in the area of their professional careers, community leadership, and/or pubic service.
She persistently worked for adolescent health services that are accessible, equitable, and that go beyond the minimal standard of care to ensure that all adolescents have a healthier life and an improved future. Her selfless dedication to caring for adolescents in our community and her training and mentoring of new generations of adolescent health care practitioners made Dr. Blythe a gift to Indiana’s adolescents and a treasure to her colleagues.
Maggie retired in 2012 from full-time full speed ahead work as a teacher, advocate, and physician and affiliated in 2017 with Southern Indiana Physicians to continue on in a part-time basis. Maggie passed away in 2018 till the end of her days, steady, persistent, and ever on her simple, straight, and true course. Glimpses of Maggie and all who she loved tell us more about what made her good heart tick. She found time in her busy and long days to listen to her daughter share with her about her days, fears, hopes, and dreams. As her daughter, Laura Beth Blythe Lui, said in tribute, “My Mom had a spirit about her that made a person feel valued, safe, and inspired to be the best version of yourself in the world. I saw her renew this spirit each morning, sometimes as early as 4:30 am, quietly praying, journaling, and reading in the basement as she folded laundry and then stretching before her early morning walk or jog before work. I have often appreciated her for the quality of not only doing the right thing, but doing it for the right reasons. She cared about her colleagues. She cared about her family and friends.”
When Maggie, who was raised in the Methodist Church, was on her last run in her battle against cancer, she shared that the Bible verse she turned to every morning for inspiration and support was Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Indeed, Dr. Maggie Blythe did just that.
References:
Vaughn Rickert, “Margaret “Maggie” Blythe, M.D.,” IUPUI Retiring Faculty Recognition Luncheon, May 1, 2012, pp. 12-13, from 2017 screenshot, link no longer available.
Margaret Jane Blythe (obituary), Indianapolis Star: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/indystar/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-jane-blythe&pid=188819399&fhid=14558
Dr. Margaret Blythe, Adolescent Medicine Doctors, Healthgrades, 2017 screenshot, link no longer available.
Margaret J. Blythe, M.D., FAAP, Founders of Adolescent Health Award, 2009 AAP Award Winners, AAP News, Vol. 30, Number 10, October 2009, from 2017 screenshot, link no longer available.
“About the guest editors,” Pediatric Annals. 2005;34(10)762, posted October 1, 2005, from 2017 screenshot, link no longer available.
Dr. Philip F. Merk, Recollections, 2024. Interview with Candace O’Connor, author of Riley Hospital history book, Cherishing Each Child.
Pediatricians give children a voice on Capitol Hill, AAP News, Vol. 29, Issue 6, June 2008, available at: https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/article-abstract/29/6/5/7659/Pediatricians-give-children-a-voice-on-Capitol?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Testimony of Margaret J. Blythe, MD, FAAP, FSAM on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics, before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, United States House of Representatives, April 23, 2008, available at: https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/migrated/20080423114026.pdf
Margaret J. Blythe, M.D, FAAP, Founders of Adolescent Health Award, AAP News, Vol. 30, Issue 10, October 2009, available at: https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/article-abstract/30/10/29/73991/Founders-of-Adolescent-Health-Award?redirectedFrom=fulltext
IUSM faculty, programs receive local awards, Scope, Vol. 13, No. 6, February 13, 2009, available at: https://archives.indianapolis.iu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/150e1143-005f-4a64-ba65-8956e261ff33/content Research Gate. Dr. Margaret J. Blythe Publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Margaret-Blythe
Recollections: Dr. Don Orr, Dr. Philip Merk (written communications to Dr. Richard Schreiner) and Laura Beth Blythe Liu (August 14, 2022 email).
D. Wade Clapp, “Dr. Maggie Blythe Recipient of Adolescent Health Award,” October 7, 2009 Department of Pediatrics email.
C. Henry Kempe, Sexual Abuse, Another Hidden Problem: The 1977 C. Anderson Aldrich Lecture, Pediatrics (1978) 62 (3): 382-389.