January 20, 2023
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Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, The professor and chief of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, died of glioblastoma on January 17, according to a university statement.
“Dr. Ralph Sacco’s work has cemented the Miller School’s reputation and helped enhance Miami’s world-class position in stroke, cardiovascular and brain health.” Henri R. Ford, MD, MHA, Miller School Dean and Chief Academic Officer said in a statement: “He was a talented researcher, a dedicated teacher and mentor, and an invaluable friend who was part of the core 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 nation’s longest-running longitudinal analysis of cardiovascular disease risk. He later joined the Columbia University faculty and founded the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study, a study of underserved and understudied Black and Latino populations.
Ralph Sacco
Sacco served as executive director of the Florida Stroke Registry and was a 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 a university statement.
In addition to being Chief of Neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, Sacco has served as the Olemberg Family Chair of Neurological Disorders, Chief of Neurology at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and Executive Director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. He has also directed and served as multiple Principal Investigators at the Miami He Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Sacco served as president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) from 2017-2019 and was the first neurologist to become president of the American Heart Association (AHA), a position he held from 2010-2011. He was appointed head of both professional organizations.
A Fellow of the AHA, AAN, and the Stroke and Epidemiology Council of the American Academy of Neurology, Sacco has also served on the Board of Directors of the World Stroke Organization (WSO). He was editor-in-chief of the AHA’s peer-reviewed scientific journals. stroke.
Sacco has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In particular, the WSO’s Global Leadership Award and he has received the AHA’s Gold Heart Award, Distinguished National Leadership Award, and 2022 Distinguished Scientist Award. The AAN announced at his December Chairs Summit that the event would be renamed the Ralph L. Sacco Neurology Chair Summit, according to a statement from the university.
“Ralph was one of a kind,” says AHA and American Stroke Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a joint statement from the group. “His leadership is unparalleled and his warm, generous heart and care extend beyond his studies and clinics to all who are fortunate enough to meet him and perhaps become friends.
“The Society is forever grateful that he chose to share his time and extraordinary talent with us. We will continue to honor his memory through the work we do to bring people longer and healthier lives.”
