Renowned neurologist Ralph L. Sacco remembered for leadership, advancements in stroke

Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, professor and chair of the department of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, died on Jan. 17 from glioblastoma, according to a statement from the university.

“Dr. Ralph Sacco’s work helped to cement the Miller School’s reputation and enhance Miami’s world-class standing in stroke and cardiovascular and brain health,” Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School, said in the statement. “He was a gifted researcher, a committed teacher and mentor, and an irreplaceable friend who was part of the nucleus of our institution.”

A native of New Jersey, Sacco attended Boston University School of Medicine, where he assisted his mentor in the Framingham Heart Study, the country’s longest-running longitudinal analysis of risk for cardiovascular disease. Sacco later joined the faculty at Columbia University, where he founded the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study, an examination of underserved and understudied Black and Latino populations.

Ralph Sacco

Sacco founded and served as executive director of the Florida Stroke Registry and founding principal investigator of the Florida-Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities and the Family Study of Stroke Risk and Carotid Atherosclerosis, according to the university statement.

In addition to chairing the department of neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, Sacco was the Olemberg Family Chair in Neurological Disorders, chief of neurology at Jackson Memorial Hospital and executive director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. He also directed and served as multi-principal investigator at the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Sacco served as president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) from 2017 to 2019 and was the first neurologist to become president of the American Heart Association (AHA), a position he held from 2010 to 2011. Sacco was the only physician to be named head of both professional organizations.

A fellow of the Stroke and Epidemiology Councils of the AHA, the AAN and the American Neurological Association, Sacco also sat on the board of directors of the World Stroke Organization (WSO). He served as editor-in-chief of the AHA’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Stroke.

Sacco received numerous awards and distinctions throughout his career, notably the WSO’s Global Leadership Award and the AHA’s Gold Heart Award, Distinguished National Leadership Award and 2022 Distinguished Scientist Award. At its chair summit in December, the AAN announced the event would be renamed the Ralph L. Sacco Neurology Chair Summit, according to the university statement.

“Ralph was one of a kind,” AHA and American Stroke Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a joint statement from the groups. “His leadership was unparalleled, and his warm, generous heart and care transcended his research and clinic to every person fortunate to meet him and likely become a friend.

“The association is forever grateful that he chose to share his time and extraordinary talents with us, and we will continue to honor his memory through the work we do to champion health equity and brain health resulting in longer, healthier lives for all people.”

Reference:

• American Heart Association grieves the loss of past president Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, FAHA, FAAN. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/american-heart-association-grieves-the-loss-of-past-president-ralph-l-sacco-m-d-m-s-faha-faan. Accessed Jan. 18, 2023.
• Avitzur O. Stroke. 2022;doi:org/10.1161/STR.0000000000000423.
• Remembering Dr. Ralph L. Sacco. https://physician-news.umiamihealth.org/remembering-dr-ralph-l-sacco/. Published Jan. 18, 2023. Accessed Jan. 20, 2023.