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Show In Memoriam Jane C. Sargent, MD (1944–2021) D r. Jane Sargent died October 26th, a few weeks shy of her 77th birthday. She was born in Brevard County, FL, on November 8th, 1944. After graduation from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, she entered Radcliffe College. She was later simultaneously enrolled in 4 colleges to satisfy her premedical requirements and matriculated at the then Hahnemann University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, receiving her M.D. in 1974. After a residency in neurology at the Mayo Clinic, she joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester and remained there for her entire professional career, rising to Professor of Neurology. In addition to her interest in neuro-ophthalmology, she subspecialized in clinical neurophysiology. One of her many Gittinger: J Neuro-Ophthalmol 2022; 42: 143 contributions was directing the hospital’s impaired physician program. Not long after I joined the faculty there, one of my colleagues was found to have a substance abuse issue, and I was tasked to monitor him. She arranged for him to receive counseling and other support and shepherded his return to practice. She said, half-jokingly, that he would be so busy that he would not have time to get into more trouble. She also told me that an average of one anesthesiologist a year entered the program. She also advocated for equal pay for women faculty and the recruitment of woman residents. She was proud of her 2 daughters, Alexandra Trumball Sargent-Colburn and Caroline Augusta Sargent who were, respectively, a writer and an artist. Tragically, Alexandra died in 2015 and Caroline, in 2017. Her grandson, Alexander Wheeler Hale, who lived with her, survives her. Jane learned Spanish and greatly enjoyed her second home in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. She had an artistic streak and at one time made clocks with the numbers arranged to show hemispatial neglect to give to her residents. She was an enthusiastic participant in North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society and was not afraid to demonstrate her remarkable fund of knowledge. During the almost 20 years I was at UMass Medical School, I often sought her advice. She knew as much about local academic politics as medicine. Some of her colleagues may be surprised to learn she was something of a stealth neuroophthalmologist. She was so busy with her other interests that she did not actively seek neuro-ophthalmology referrals. The neuro-ophthalmic community has lost one of its most endearing characters. She will be greatly missed. John W. Gittinger, Jr., MD John W. Gittinger, Jr, MD Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA E-mail: john_gittinger@meei.harvard.edu 143 Copyright © North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. |