Lewis P. Rowland Memorial Lecture
The Lewis P. Rowland Memorial Lecture was established in 2019 in honor of the memory and accomplishments of Dr. Lewis Rowland, who passed away on March 16, 2017 at the age of 91.
Lewis P. “Bud” Rowland was one of the most influential neurologists of his time. He received his BS and MD degrees from Yale University. As a medical student, Bud joined The Association of Interns and Medical Students (AIMS), which advocated universal health insurance, equal care for rich and poor, and increased minority medical school enrollment. After a medical internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital, he accepted a position as assistant resident in neurology with H. Houston Merritt at the Neurological Institute of New York. He was also accepted as one of the first group of clinical associates appointed to the newly created National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, the precursor to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It was during his time at the NIH that Bud developed his lifelong interest in the genetics of neurological diseases. In 1967, he left Columbia to become Chairman of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, but quickly returned in 1973 to become the Chairman of Neurology at Columbia, a position he held for 25 years.
Under his leadership, Columbia’s Department of Neurology again became one of the largest and best academic departments in the country, as it had been under Dr. Merritt. Bud’s own clinical interests focused on neuromuscular diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With Dr. Salvatore DiMauro, Bud established the H. Houston Merritt Clinical Research Center for Muscular Dystrophy and Related Diseases, which pioneered research in a number of neuromuscular diseases including mitochondrial disorders and spinal muscular atrophy. Bud also founded and co-directed the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Center.
Bud was a prolific author, writing or coauthoring 483 manuscripts and 26 books. After Merritt’s death he authored and then edited subsequent editions of Merritt’s Neurology, now in its 13th edition. He was Editor-in-Chief of Neurology (1976-1986) and founding Editor-in-Chief of Neurology Today (2000-2010). Bud served as President of both the American Academy of Neurology(1989-90) and the American Neurological Association (1980-81) as well as the Association of University Professors of Neurology (1978-79). He also served as President (1969-70) and Chairman of the Board (1992-1998) of the Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Diseases and President and Chairman of the Board of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (1979-2013).
Those of us who had the honor to train with him, work for him or simply attend his teaching rounds can attest to his kindness with patients and his remarkable depth of knowledge of neurological diseases. He was a tireless mentor, beloved and sorely missed by many friends, colleagues and former students around the world.
2026 Lewis P. Rowland Memorial Lecture:
Friday, October 9, 2026
Location: Neurological Institute Alumni Auditorium, 710 W 168th Street
Time: 1:15 - 2:15 PM
Treatment for Myotonic Dystrophy: What Next?
Charles A. Thornton, MD
Saunders Family Distinguished Professor in Neuromuscular Research
University of Rochester Medical School
Dr. Thornton is a physician scientist and neuromuscular specialist at the University of Rochester. He studies mechanisms and therapeutic development for myotonic dystrophy. He serves as co-director of the University of Florida/ University of Rochester Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Research Center, one of 6 NIH-designated Centers of Excellence for research on muscle diseases.