The EAN Board is deeply saddened to report the passing of Dr Ralph Sacco, former president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), on 17 January 2023. The AAN reports that Sacco died of a brain tumour at his home in Long Island, New York, at the age of 65.
“On behalf of the entire European neurological community I want to offer my most sincere condolences to Dr Sacco’s family, AAN, and the entire US neurological community,” said EAN President Paul Boon. “Dr Sacco was an outstanding neurologist, both clinically and scientifically prolific, and he was a role model in many ways. He has left us far too early and will be missed dearly.”
Dr Sacco was not only the first neurologist to serve as president of the American Heart Association (AHA) but was also the only physician to serve as both president of the AHA and the American Academy of Neurology. In 2019, he was selected as editor-in-chief of the journal Stroke.
As a widely admired expert on stroke epidemiology and health disparities, Sacco received numerous awards throughout his career and was invited to deliver lectures in Europe and across the world. As AAN President from 2017 to 2019, and in his many other leadership roles, he was a greatly respected advocate for the neurology profession and a true friend to European neurology.
The EAN Board would like to pass on our most heartfelt condolences to his friends, family and colleagues.
Read the AAN’s obituary here.
