Allen Crocker, MD, Department of Medicine
Allen Crocker, MD, described his career path as one that began with the scientific inquiry of metabolic disorders at the molecular level, moved on to understanding manifestations of these disorders in the lives of children, and currently focuses on service delivery from a systems perspective and the prevention of developmental disabilities.

He completed post-doctoral training at Children’s Hospital in 1951 and has been ensconced here ever since. He smiles at the thought of a long and productive career at a single institution and hopes that this reflects a sense of commitment rather than a lack of adventure.

In 1967 Allen Crocker was involved in the establishment of the Developmental Evaluation Center (DEC). The DEC was in the first wave of University Affiliated Facilities (now called University Affiliated Programs), which housed interdisciplinary training and evaluation centers to expand the knowledge and service base for individuals with mental retardation. The DEC has been providing interdisciplinary evaluation services for children with special needs and their families, as well as training clinicians and practitioners, ever since.

Throughout his career Allen Crocker has maintained that children and their families are at the center of the circle of care provided in the medical and human service fields. He urges other researchers and practitioners to retain personal, human connections with the children for whom and with whom they work.