Murray Grossman, MDCM, EdD, an internationally recognized leader in FTD science and a founding member of AFTD’s Medical Advisory Council (MAC), died on April 4, the Penn Memory Center announced on April 10. Dr. Grossman was 71.

A neurology professor at the University of Pennsylvania for over three decades, Dr. Grossman played a crucial role in the creation of AFTD. In the late 1990s, he arranged for Helen-Ann Comstock, a former FTD caregiver, to use UPenn office space in suburban Philadelphia for meetings of her FTD support group. Ms. Comstock would go on to found AFTD in 2002, providing resources, support, and information for FTD families across the country.

Along with Dr. Virginia M.-Y. Lee and the late Dr. John Trojanowski, also of UPenn, Ms. Comstock said that Dr. Grossman was “instrumental in establishing AFTD as the nation’s leading organization focused on FTD.”

An author or co-author of more than 600 scientific papers, Dr. Grossman focused his research on Alzheimer’s and related dementias, with a particular focus on young-onset dementias such as FTD. He worked to identify biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, publishing recent studies on the viability of neurofilament light and cerebrospinal fluid as potential FTD biomarkers.

Dr. Grossman also produced influential work on diagnostic criteria for specific FTD subtypes. A brief biography published on the UPenn website notes that he “was among the first to recognize that patients with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and corticobasal degeneration can also have cognitive limitations [and] provided the first quantitative description of progressive non-fluent aphasia.”

Dr. Grossman founded the Penn FTD Center in 2010. The center convenes experts across a range of disciplines to improve FTD care, diagnosis, and treatments. It also offers clinical genetic counseling services for FTD – a particular passion of Dr. Grossman’s.

After his death, friends and colleagues praised Dr. Grossman’s endless energy, his collaborative spirit, and his mentorship of countless young contributors to FTD science. “Murray trained and mentored many of the emerging leaders in FTD research and clinical care,” said AFTD CEO Susan L-J Dickinson. “He leaves the Penn FTD Center in capable and committed hands, and his legacy includes ensuring that a new generation of clinicians and scientists will continue the drive to approved treatments for FTD.

“Whether clarifying diagnostic criteria for FTD, working with genetically at-risk families, or examining potential FTD biomarkers, Murray’s work was at all times informed by his deep compassion for everyone affected by FTD,” Dickinson continued. “His leadership, guidance, and wisdom have been tremendously important to the growth of AFTD and will be an enduring aspect of his legacy. It was an honor and a privilege to call him a friend.”