Benjamin Seltzer, neurologist, professor and researcher

BENJAMIN SELTZER, a neurologist, researcher and former professor at Tulane University School of Medicine died October 22 in Phoenix at the age of 67.

Seltzer was highly regarded as a physician, teacher and researcher who loved New Orleans and, were it not for his department being closed following the passage of Hurricane Katrina, would have remained here for the rest of his life.

Born in Philadelphia just prior to the end of World War II on Aug 5, 1945, he grew up in a family with a father who was a doctor. Following graduation from high school, Seltzer attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honors society before receiving his undergraduate degree. He earned his medical degree at Jefferson Medical College and received his neurology training at Tufts and Harvard and his fellowship training under Dr. Norman Geschwind, considered the world’s pioneer in cognitive and behavioral neurology. Following several years as a medical school faculty member at Harvard and Tufts, Seltzer moved to New Orleans in 1988, where he was a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Tulane University School of Medicine.

Following the closure of his department in 2006, Seltzer returned to Harvard Medical School for several years. He was also 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.

An author of almost 100 scientific articles and book chapters, Seltzer was widely traveled widely and gave over 700 talks and lectures. He enjoyed running, attending Yoga classes and was fully or partially fluent in seven languages. He had many hobbies including philately and was a lifelong collector of all sorts of maps, postcards, and art. However, his most prized possession may have been his far-reaching collection of autographs, which he had accumulated since childhood. He kept an extensive list of every book he had read since the age of 12.

Seltzer is survived by his wife Natalie, his 93-year-old mother Sylvia, his sister Dr. Marjorie Stanek, his sons Daniel (Beth), Peter, and Nathan, his daughter Jennifer and two grandchildren. Visitation will begin at Tharp-Sontheimer-Tharp Funeral Home,  1600 N. Causeway Boulevard at 43rd Street at 2:00 p.m. Services were conducted by Rabbi Ethan Linden of Shir Chadash Conservative Synagogue at 3:00 p.m., followed immediately by interment in Chevra Thilim Memorial Park, 5000 Iberville Street.