Cesare T. Lombroso, MD, PhD (1917–2013)

Abstract

The neurology community has lost one of the most influential figures of the epilepsy movement in the past 50 years. Cesare T. Lombroso succeeded William G. Lennox at the helm of the Seizure Unit at The Children's Hospital in Boston. He embraced the Lennox legacy and was, like his predecessor, a deeply caring physician, unrelenting investigator, and strong advocate for people with epilepsy. He trained a large group of international fellows, disseminating the concept that the treatment of epilepsy requires a comprehensive medical and psychosocial approach. With great intuition, he encouraged many young investigators to explore in the laboratory the possible roots of epilepsy, searching for clues among his many clinical observations, thus moving toward new scientific discoveries. As direct witness and key protagonist of the growing epilepsy movement, he was a founding member of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) and lectured extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and South America, where he was regarded as an international authority in the field.