Celebrated Neuropsychologist Muriel Lezak Dies at 94

She wrote the book on brain injuries.

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Steve Hambuchen, courtesy of the University of Chicago Magazine

Muriel Lezak, a neuropsychologist renowned for her work on the science of brain injuries, died on October 6 at the age of 94. Lezak penned a textbook in the 1970s that became the gold standard on the topic. She also changed the way injury was assessed, championing a model that centered patients’ descriptions of their experiences.

Lezak (née Deutsch), was born in Chicago in 1927. Her father was a furrier, according to The New York Times, and her mother worked in the business occasionally. She attended the University of Chicago, completing her undergraduate work in 1947, and stayed on for a master’s in human development, which she received two years later. While attending UChicago, she met a law student named Sidney Lezak, and the two married in 1949 before moving to Portland, Oregon and having children.

According to The Oregonian, Lezak ...

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Meet the Author

  • Lisa Winter

    Lisa Winter became social media editor for The Scientist in 2017. In addition to her duties on social media platforms, she also pens obituaries for the website. She graduated from Arizona State University, where she studied genetics, cell, and developmental biology.
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