In Memoriam: Martin A. Samuels, MD, DSc (hon), FAAN, MACP, FRCP, FANA

Martin A. Samuels, MD, DSc (hon), FAAN, MACP, FRCP, FANA, the first named Miriam Sydney Joseph Distinguished Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, passed away on June 6, 2023, at age 77.

Dr Samuels was an internationally acclaimed neurologist, teacher, and clinical physician who was renowned for his comprehensive approach to patient health. His work focused on the intersections between neurology and the health of the entire body, and he conducted pioneering research into fields including neurocardiology, neurorheumatology, and neurohematology. His investigations into death caused by heart-stopping fear, a phenomenon called Voodoo Death, have been particularly formative in defining the relationship between the cardiac and nervous systems.

A graduate from Williams College, Dr Samuels earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and he completed his residency at Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to his clinical career and numerous published research articles, Dr Samuels served as a writer or editor for several instructive medical books, including Adam and Victor’s Principles of Neurology, Stein’s Internal Medicine, Office Practice of Neurology, and Hospitalist Neurology. A book he edited, Samuels’s Manual of Neurologic Therapeutics, a celebrated reference for treating neurologic conditions, bears his name.

In 1988, Dr Samuels founded the Division of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and developed it into the Department of Neurology, where he served as Founding Chair until 2018.

“He taught us kindness was not a weakness. He taught us how to find joy and fulfillment in being a physician and that neurology is a privilege for the practitioner,” said Galen Henderson, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Brigham and a member of the Division of Neurocritical Care. “He created a sense of belonging. He taught us so many lessons about how to make people feel comfortable — that they belong and that they matter.”