Dr. Seymour Gendelman

Seymour Gendelman, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Neurology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, passed away on Tuesday, November 24, after a long illness at the age of 88. Seymour was born on January 16, 1932 in Philadelphia to parents Fannie and Nathan Gendelman, immigrants from Ukraine. He graduated from Central High School in 1949 and Temple University School of Pharmacy in 1953, both in Philadelphia. Seymour served with the U.S. Army for two years in Germany during the Korean conflict.

In 1964, Seymour graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington D.C. with Distinction, academically first in the class, earning eight of the ten awards given at graduation. He married Bernice Roth Gendelman, his wife, partner and best friend of 62 years in 1958. In addition to his wife, he is survived, missed and mourned by three sons, Jacob, Norman and David; by Jacob’s wife, Melissa Shaw-Smith; by three grandchildren, Nyssa, Asher and Milo; and by his twin brother, Neil.

Dr. Gendelman was a medical intern at New York Hospital and was a resident in neurology for three years at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Gendelman was clinical professor of neurology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and in private practice for more than 50 years. He was the director of clinical neurology and the director of the residency program at Mount Sinai for the last 20 years of his tenure at Mount Sinai.

While at Mount Sinai, Dr. Gendelman was chairman of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee for more than 20 years. He served as president of the attending staff and the president of the alumni association. He received the coveted Jacobi Medallion for Conspicuous Service to the Alumni. As a resident, Dr. Gendelman published one of the early studies of meningeal involvement by solid tumors. He was an international expert in neurologic complications of hemophilia and was a member of the original hemophilia team at Mount Sinai. Dr. Gendelman presented one of the earliest reports of the neurologic complications of AIDS in hemophilia. He was a leading expert in the neurologic complications of inflammatory bowel disease and published and lectured extensively. Dr. Gendelman was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He was the secretary to the medical board and was on the nursing advisory committee, the executive board of the Mount Sinai Alumni, and the executive quality assurance committee at Mount Sinai. Dr. Gendelman served as a board examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for 20 years.

Seymour’s great joys came from his family, and he loved teaching and taking care of patients. He was known for his diagnostic skills, his high intellect, his quick wit, his warmth to patients and their families and teaching many generations of residents who all respected and admired him. He always found time to enjoy running, photography, music and traveling.

Please make any contributions in memory of Dr. Seymour Gendelman to:

Resident Education Fund

Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai

One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.guttermanandmusicant.com for the Gendelman family.