In memory of Prof. Nir Giladi

The Israeli National Academy of Science in Medicine bows its head in sorrow and pain at the passing of its member, Prof. Nir Giladi, a gifted, compassionate, and dedicated physician, a leading and groundbreaking researcher, and an exceptional individual of the highest caliber. Presented here are the words of Prof. Bastiaan Bloom,  Director, of the Center of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, who was a research colleague and close friend of Prof. Giladi.

Dear friends and colleagues,

It is with immense sadness that I have to report to you that our wonderful colleague and good friend Nir Giladi passed away today. Nir sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage some 10 days ago, and was in a comatose state ever since. Today, a re-bleed occurred which eventually turned out to be fatal. I am totally devastated by this tragic and totally unexpected news, as I am sure all of you are.

Nir was in an excellent health, and was about to embark on a new career as the national ombudsman in Israel. His legacy is incredible. He was one of the very first to draw attention to freezing of gait, during work earlier on in his career with Stanley Fahn. Much of his work remained focused on gaining a better understanding of this mysterious motor phenomenon, and he was one of the inspirational drivers behind the new international freezing of gait society. He was also one of the first to understand that our ability to walk and stand involved in important degree of cognitive control, which led him to organize several highly successful international congresses focused specifically on gait and mental function. In addition, Nir was a leading figure in the development of multidisciplinary care for people with Parkinson’s disease. Patient centeredness was the core of his mission, and this was palpable in every corner of his center of excellence in Tel Aviv. With his background in the Israeli community, he was also instrumental in leveraging the unique, widespread presence of genetic mutations in his country, building longitudinal cohorts that have driven many of our current insights in this field. Nir was also a highly visible and deeply respected member of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, for which he served as an officer, alongside many other important contributions. And most importantly, he was a guide and a mentor for so many young colleagues in the field who were trained in his center.

For me personally, I have lost so much more than a colleague. Nir and his wife Mira spent six months with us on a sabbatical here in Nijmegen, many years ago, and we have remained very close friends ever since. At each MDS conference for the past 15 years, we had our traditional annual dinner together. In many ways, he was also my coach and mentor, and a true father figure as well as being a warm and trusted friend. 

My thoughts are with Mira, their four children and their grandchildren, his close colleagues in the Tel Aviv team, and with the many other dear ones that Nir leaves behind. I wish all of them, and also all of you, a lot of strength with this incredibly sad loss. An amazing friend and special colleague is no more. I just cannot believe he is no longer among us.