Neil L. Rosenberg, MD (1954–2003)

Abstract

Our close friend and colleague Neil Rosenberg⇓ died of a heart attack on April 14, 2003, in Lima, Peru. His death was both shocking and tragic. Neil L. Rosenberg Neil completed his neurology residency at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He subsequently completed fellowships in both neuromuscular diseases and neuroimmunology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. During this time, he published several studies on experimental autoimmune myositis and immune-mediated polyneuropathies. However, as an attending physician at Denver General Hospital in the mid-1980s, a chance encounter with a patient who was a chronic inhalant abuser changed the direction of Neil’s career. This patient had a chronic encephalopathy secondary to “huffing” solvents with a high concentration of toluene. He soon discovered other, similar patients. These experiences resulted in several notable publications describing the chronic leukoencephalopathy associated with inhalation of toluene. From then on, Neil’s major focus became neurotoxicology, and he became one of the leaders in this field. In 1989, he became an early member of the Colorado Neurologic Institute in Englewood, where he spearheaded research and clinical care in neuroimmunology and neurotoxicology. Realizing the importance of educating the public about the dangers of inhalant abuse, he founded the International Institute on …