It is with a heavy heart that the CNS shares the news of the loss of Verne Caviness, one of the giants of Child Neurology.
Verne was the Giovanni Armenise Professor of Neurology, Emeritus, and the inaugural Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Child Neurology. More than that, he was a great gentlemen and a veritable institution. Having joined the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in 1969, Dr. Caviness attended on both the stroke service and the child neurology service for five decades and led the MGH section of pediatric neurology from 1983 to 2006. He was a masterful clinician and inspiring teacher to generations of neurology residents from MGH and beyond. He made important research discoveries on the cellular basis of brain development. His contributions were recognized by the Child Neurology Society at its 25th Annual Meeting in 1996 with presentation of the Bernard Sachs Award.
I had the privilege of attending an MGH Etherdome Grand Rounds presented by Verne just within the past couple years, in memory of our colleague John Barlow MD, and he was as astute, insightful, and genuine as ever. Verne will always be a beloved figure throughout the pediatric neurology community in Boston, the CNS, and globally. He is already greatly missed.
Phillip L. Pearl, MD CNS President