Swaiman 39;s Pediatric Neurology

[Mirtha Hinrichs]

KenSwaiman was a visionary who has played a universally recognized, pivotal and remarkable role in the development of child neurology. He initiated the founding of the Child Neurology Society, the Professors of Child Neurology and the Child Neurology Foundation, and the publication of what is regarded as the primary textbook in the field, Pediatric Neurology:Principles and Practice. He began the journal, Pediatric Neurology, one of the major pediatric neurological journals and served as its editor from 1984-2012. For these and many other accomplishments, Ken was honored by the Child Neurology Society at the 2017 Legacy Reception.

During his tenure at Minnesota, Ken trained over 80 child neurologists and he felt that contact with his residents was one of his prime motivating forces for beginning all of the organizations that he started. He felt that the role of teacher and mentor was the most important responsibility that a faculty member can have. His trainees came from all over the world and went on to provide continuing education in the U.S. and in their home countries.

Child Neurology Society. The first Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) specialty board devoted to individuals with neurological and psychiatric disorders, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), was established in 1934. Another 34 years elapsed before Child Neurology was recognized as a distinct neurology sub-specialty (American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with Special Competence in Child Neurology, 1968). Having long recognized the uniqueness of child neurology, Ken gathered together a small group of senior Midwest pediatric neurologists in 1971 and the following year, he founded the CNS (1972), holding the first meeting at the University of Michigan. There, the Society was incorporated, by-laws were created, an Executive Board was formed, and plans were made to hire administrative staff. The formation of the CNS was a major force in the expansion of Pediatric Neurology training programs, and many more medical students and residents decided to pursue a career in pediatric neurology.

Professors of Child Neurology. The Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN), one the principal organizations involved in the training of neurologists, held its first meeting in 1968 to address training, legislative, workforce and research funding issues and to serve as a liaison with many organizations. Realizing the importance of having a parallel organization for academic child neurologists, Ken founded the PCN with the help of Bruce Berg (1978), with Ken serving as its first President. The PCN meets at the CNS annual meeting and serves many roles including support of training programs, program directors, coordinators and residents, as well as serving as the interface with multiple other organizations (CNS, ACGME and ABPN). Ken was a tireless advocate for improving the quality of pediatric neurological education, the advancement of the field, and the means to increase the knowledge and capability of pediatric neurologists.

Ken and his wife of 35 years, pediatric neurologist Phyllis Sher, alternated their residences between Minneapolis and Tucson. Phyllis was a past member of the Executive Committee of the CNS, taught at the University of Miami Medical School, the University of Minnesota Medical School and did research at the NIH. While in Arizona, she taught at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, returned to her artistic background and is an accomplished painter. Ken received unswerving support from Phyllis during his last of several illnesses, sharing their deep love as Ken reflected on his life, a life so well lived. In addition to Phyllis, Ken is survived by children, Lisa Swaiman (Jim Grossman), Jerrold Swaiman, Barbara Swaiman (Mark Franklin), and Dana Hoberman (Bruce); and grandchildren, Isaac Swaiman, Sarah Grossman, Ethan Swaiman, Danielle Swaiman, Sawyer Franklin, Ryan Franklin, Jordan Hoberman and Benji Hoberman; and great grandson Everett Swaiman.

Dr. Kenneth Swaiman dedicated his life and career to bettering the lives of children with neurologic conditions and their families. His legacy in the pediatric neurology field is unprecedented and his impact is universally recognized.

I cannot remember a CNF function where Dr. Swaiman and his wife of 35 years, pediatric neurologist Phyllis Sher, did not attend and act as gracious ambassadors of our mission to all who would listen. A beautiful couple, the two of them epitomize deep commitment to the child neurology community.

Our story with Dr. Swaiman is just a small piece of the larger mosaic of his life. During his career, he belonged to 20 professional organizations, served on 15 editorial boards of major scientific journals, and trained over 80 child neurologists during his academic tenure. He initiated the founding of the Child Neurology Society and the Professors of Child Neurology, and the publication of what is regarded as the primary textbook in the field, Pediatric Neurology: Principles and Practice. He also began the journal, Pediatric Neurology, one of the major pediatric neurological journals, and served as its editor from 1984-2012. Dr. Swaiman was an unstoppable force and has forever changed the trajectory of the child neurology field.

Since 1975, Dr. Kenneth Swaiman's classic text has been the reference of choice for authoritative guidance in pediatric neurology, and the 6th Edition continues this tradition of excellence with thorough revisions that bring you fully up to date with all that's new in the field. Five new sections, 62 new chapters, 4 new editors, and a reconfigured format make this a comprehensive and clearly-written resource for the experienced clinician as well as the physician-in-training.

Tristan T. Sands, MD, PhD is Assistant Professor in the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons (Columbia VP&S) Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics. He is a pediatric neurologist who treats children and babies suffering from epilepsy and a physician scientist with expertise in genetic causes of epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disease. Dr. Sands completed his MD-PhD at Columbia VP&S through a Medical Scientist Training Program with thesis work in lab of Dr. Arnold Kriegstein. During child neurology residency at UCSF, Dr. Sands trained in electroclinical phenotyping of the epilepsies under Dr. M. Roberta Cilio. After finishing his clinical training at Columbia VP&S in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology with Dr. Jim Riviello, Dr. Sands joined Columbia VP&S as faculty in 2017, first training in neurogenetics at the Institute for Genomic Medicine, and then returning to the bench to study genetic epilepsy using mouse models under the mentorship of Dr. Wayne Frankel. Dr. Sands has worked closely with families to treat hundreds of children with epilepsy. He is the author of chapters on pediatric epilepsy and genetic epilepsy in major textbooks in the field of neurology, including Merritt's Neurology and Swaiman's Pediatric Neurology. Dr. Sands has served as an expert on ClinGen's epilepsy gene curation panel since 2017. In 2023, Dr. Sands was named Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society in recognition of professional accomplishment and dedication in the field of epilepsy. Dr. Sands is a 2024 Louis V. Gerstner Scholar. His research contributions include demonstration of the exquisite efficacy of carbamazepine for neonatal epilepsy caused by inherited loss-of-function variants in KCNQ2 and KCNQ3, work that led to changes to the International League against Epilepsy guidelines and recommendations on the treatment of seizures in newborn babies. Dr. Sands reported the electroclinical characterization of a new gain-of-function phenotype caused by de novo variants in KCNQ3. Dr. Sands reported variants in NBEA as a cause epilepsy and neurodevelopment, and he characterized the largest cohort of patients with epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disability caused by pathogenic variants in CSNK2B. The Sands "END (Epilepsy & Neurodevelopmental Disease) Laboratory," established in 2022 in the Center for Translational Research in Neurodevelopmental Disease (CTRND), uses mouse and human cellular models to identify convergent disease mechanisms and novel therapeutic strategies for epilepsy and encephalopathy caused by rare genetic mutations. These research efforts are supported by federal grants from both NIH and private agencies.

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