In Memoriam: W. Allen Hauser, MD

The Faculty of the Department of Neurology and the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center celebrate the life and mourn the passing of W. Allen Hauser, MD, Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Epidemiology at Columbia University. For more than five decades, Dr. Hauser was a pioneering and world-renowned leader in the epidemiology of epilepsy whose work fundamentally shaped understanding of seizure disorders, risk factors, and outcomes across the lifespan, laying the foundation for the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) operational classification of the disease. A longtime member of the Sergievsky Center, Dr. Hauser was an extraordinary mentor whose influence shaped generations of investigators at Columbia and beyond, many of whom became leaders in the field. Dr. Hauser authored hundreds of influential scientific publications, received major international honors, and provided long-standing leadership within the ILAE; a full obituary is available on the ILAE website. He was known for his generosity, kindness, and deep commitment to mentorship. He will be deeply missed by his colleagues and trainees. Our sympathies to his wife, Bonnie, and his children.