In Memoriam: Daniel I. Kaufer, M.D., F.A.N.P.A., F.A.A.N.

It is with a deep and abiding sadness that we announce the passing of Daniel I. Kaufer, M.D., F.A.N.P.A., F.A.A.N., on July 2, 2020, from an advanced and untreatable cancer. At the time of his passing, Dan was surrounded by family and loved ones and was connected to and supported by his national network of friends and colleagues.

Dan was the Founding Director of the Memory Disorders Division at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and was an internationally renowned clinician, educator, and scientist in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry. He completed his M.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a neurology residency at the University of Pittsburgh, and a fellowship in Neurobehavior and Geriatric Neurology at UCLA.

Born both of his training and of several decades of clinical experiences, Dan’s masterful mentoring of a generation of trainees in neurology, psychiatry, and other clinical neuroscience disciplines emphasized understanding, evaluating, and caring for patients and families from a neuropsychiatric perspective. He brought that perspective to his collaborative leadership of the Joint Advisory Committee on Subspecialty Certification of the American Neuropsychiatric Association and the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and its development of the first official core curriculum for training in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry (BNNP). As one of the architects of BNNP as a formally organized, nationally accredited, interdisciplinary subspecialty under the auspices United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS), and during his many years of service on the UCNS BNNP Examination Writing Committee, Dan was a steadfast champion of BNNP training and practice and a steward of excellence in clinical skills and medical knowledge for our field. His contributions to the development of our subspecialty cannot be overstated, and he regarded his work on the organization and growth of nationally accredited training and certification in BNNP as one of his most satisfying and meaningful professional accomplishments.

For more than a decade, Dan organized and moderated the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology (SBCN) premeeting workshop at the annual meetings of the American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA). In those workshops, he consistently and effectively communicated the importance of case-based learning in BNNP. He used this platform to advocate passionately for clinical, educational, and scientific collaborations between ANPA, SBCN, and their members, which he also made a theme during his service as President of SBCN.

Dan was highly regarded for his scientific contributions to our field, and especially for his studies of novel therapeutics for persons with neurodegnerative dementias and his development of improved methods of neuropsychiatric assessment in clinical practice and research. He was particularly well-known for his work on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q), which has become an international standard for the clinical and research assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in persons with neurodegenerative and acquired neurological disorders. Dan also offered his clinical and scientific services to the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, for which he served as Associate Editor and to which he was an invaluable contributor and a trusted colleague and advisor.

Dan was a dear friend and colleague to us, a loving partner to his significant other, Denise Haviland, and a beloved brother to his siblings, Nancy Lehrer (Harvey) and David Kaufer. Above all else, Dan was a devoted and adoring father to his daughter, Ella, who was his greatest source of joy, pride, and love. He will be sorely missed by us all.