Remembering Dr. Robert D. Terry
Robert Terry, M.D., Einstein’s chair of pathology from 1969 to 1984, passed away on May 20, 2017, in San Diego, California. He was 93 years old.
Robert Terry, M.D.Dr. Terry joined the Einstein faculty in 1959, as head of neuropathology, and worked closely with a team led by Saul R. Korey, M.D., founding chair of neurology at the College of Medicine.
“As chair of pathology, Dr. Terry single-handedly created and led an internationally recognized neuropathology division here at Einstein,” recalled Cedric Raine, Ph.D., professor emeritus of pathology. “Until his departure to University of California, San Diego in 1984, he brought great distinction to the department through his pioneering work on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), raised the level of academic neuropathology to new heights, and was an inspirational mentor.”
“In establishing our neuropathology program as a world-leader, Dr. Terry helped to launch the careers of many neuropathologists, both clinicians and researchers, who would go on to great prominence around the world,” added Celia Brosnan, Ph.D., professor emerita of pathology.
Pioneering Research
Among his many firsts, Dr. Terry was the first to identify one of the pathological hallmarks of AD — the presence of neurofibrillary tangles in affected neurons, using the then novel technology of electron microcopy. He also was the first to receive a National Institutes of Health grant specifically dedicated to studying the pathology of AD.
Among his numerous accolades, he was the first recipient of the prestigious Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases, awarded by the American Academy of Neurology in 1988; was the recipient of the MetLife Foundation Award for Research in Alzheimer Disease in 1990; and was president of the American Association of Neuropathology in 1970. In 1977, Dr Terry, along with Dr. Robert Katzman (then chair of neurology at Einstein), organized the first national conference on AD, sponsored in part by the National Institute on Aging. An electron micrograph of Dr. Terry’s, showing an eight-foot image of a pathognomonic inclusion body from the brain of a patient with Tay Sachs disease, was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, in an exhibition titled “Once Invisible.”
During the Second World War, Dr. Terry served with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne paratroop division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He is survived by his son Nicolas.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to Drs. Celia F. Brosnan and Cedric S. Raine, emeriti faculty in pathology for providing the information for this remembrance of Dr. Terry.
Posted on: Friday, June 02, 2017