Benjamin Pincus Seltzer

Ben Seltzer, M.D., on October 22 at the age of 67. Ben was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was also a terrific neurologist, teacher and researcher who will be missed greatly by everyone who knew him. Ben was born in Philadelphia on Aug 5, 1945, raised by his parents Sylvia and Dr. Albert Seltzer, and received his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honors society. He earned his medical degree at Jefferson Medical College and received his neurology training at Tufts and Harvard and his fellowship training under the world’s pioneer in cognitive and behavioral neurology, Dr. Norman Geschwind. Following several years as a medical school faculty member at Harvard and Tufts, Ben moved to New Orleans in 1988, where he was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Ben loved New Orleans and would have remained there for the rest of his life, were it not for Hurricane Katrina and the closure of his department in 2006. After returning to Harvard Medical School for several years, Ben was recruited to direct the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Disorders at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, where he became one of the researchers in the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium. He was a dedicated physician, who played leadership roles in the clinical care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and in clinical research studies seeking to find better treatments for the disorder. He loved working with his colleagues, residents and medical students. Ben was an author of almost 100 scientific articles and book chapters, and he traveled widely giving over 700 talks and lectures. He loved his patients, and he valued the chance to contribute to the human condition. He was a sweet man, who enjoyed running and Yoga classes, was fully or partially fluent in seven languages, loved traveling, and had numerous hobbies. He was a lifelong collector of all sorts, including stamps, maps, postcards, and art, and his most prized possession may have been his far-reaching collection of autographs, which he had accumulated since childhood. He kept a list of every book he had read since the age of 12, and there were many. Ben is survived by his wife Natalie, 93 year-old mother Sylvia and sister Dr. Marjorie Stanek, his children Daniel, Jennifer, Peter, and Nathan, his daughter-in-law Beth, his grandchildren Edie and Theodore, and scores of patients, colleagues and friends. We miss him terribly. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the services from Tharp-Sontheimer-Tharp 1600 N. Causeway Boulevard at 43rd Street on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 3 o’clock pm. Followed by interment in Chevra Thilim Memorial Park. Visitation on Wednesday, October 24 from 2 o’clock pm until funeral time. Information: 835-2341.