Robert Burgerman

Robert Stephen Burgerman, MD was an epileptologist and clinical neurophysiologist who was a long-term supporter of the epilepsy community. On July 12, 2013 he died suddenly, unexpectedly, and peacefully in his sleep. Born in Washington DC, he earnedhis undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and his M.D at Washington University and did an internship at Barnes hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He completed a Neurology residency at the University of Marylandand a 2-year fellowship in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology at the Graduate Hospital, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. He then moved to Sacramento, California where he was founder and medical director of the Sacramento Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Sutter Medical Center. Bob served as the director of the adult epilepsy monitoring unit and neurodiagnostic laboratory for 21 years and was also vice-chair of the Institutional Review Board. He was a consultant at the University of California, Davis and was an active member of the American Epilepsy Society, the American Clinical Neurophysiological Society, the Southern EEG Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Medical Association.

Bob remained committed to serving people with epilepsy throughout his career. He had special interest in functional brain mapping and the surgical treatment of epilepsy and served as an investigator for many new antiseizure drugs. He was distinguished by his attention to detail, an unquenchablethirst for knowledge, the ability to connect with patients, and the regularity with which he was involved in epilepsy educational venuesboth in the US and abroad. He had a kind and generous heart with unparalleled love and devotion for his wife Linda. Bob had a quick wit and great sense of humor. He was always supportive of others, sometimes at his own expense, and could be pointedly honest when needed. He enjoyed windsurfing, skiing, and hiking, and found solace in nature and the arts-especially playing his saxophone. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and patients. His passing is a great loss. His family has asked that donations made on his behalf go to the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California (www.epilepsynorcal.org).

William O. Tatum IV
Michael R. Sperling