Friends,

Thank you for considering a gift in memory of Dr. Arthur Ancowitz, a champion of stroke prevention and care. Your donation will support the Dr. Arthur Ancowitz Stroke Prevention Lecture, hosted annually by the Department of Neurology at NYU Langone Health. As you know, stroke prevention is a cause championed by Dr. Ancowitz throughout his life and this lecture continues his legacy of educating clinicians and trainees. Your gift would mean a great deal to the Ancowitz family, and even more to the many others who attend the lecture and depend on the work of NYU Langone’s faculty and staff. Thank you for your support.

ARTHUR ANCOWITZ OBITUARY

ANCOWITZ--Dr. Arthur. A pioneer in stroke prevention, died on July 14 in Sarasota, Florida, at 97, of complications from oral cancer. He was physician to General of the Army and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar N. Bradley; he served in the Navy during World War II and in the Army during the Korean War. An 11-time marathoner, triathlete, and nonagenarian tap dancer, Dr. Ancowitz was an early advocate of a plant-based diet and active lifestyle to prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease. He, his sister Eileen, and late brother Gilbert were born in the Bronx to David and Rachel (nee Portnoy), both of Eastern European Jewish descent. Following graduation from the NYU School of Medicine in 1948, he served in the Pentagon as physician to high-ranking officers, including General Bradley. The General became a lifelong friend and hosted Dr. Ancowitz's wedding at the Pierre Hotel. He had three children with wife Marjorie Berg: Richard (Ellen), Nancy ("Hurricane"), and MJ (Barry Kanner); the couple later divorced and share six grandchildren. Dr. Ancowitz, an internist, held positions as section chief at the Bronx VA and house physician for the Metropolitan Opera; he also established a practice on Park Avenue and was affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, Doctors Hospital, and Cabrini Hospital. An early leader in stroke prevention education, Dr. Ancowitz lectured widely and wrote several groundbreaking books, including Strokes and their Prevention. In 1967, he founded the Stroke Foundation, which continues to fund stroke research as well as the Dr. Arthur Ancowitz Lecture Series at his alma mater, NYU. Dr. Ancowitz maintained the healthy lifestyle he championed; well into his late 90's, he enjoyed swimming, biking, tennis, and world travel with long-time partner Ina Schnell. An inveterate rhymer and writer of poetry, here's a quote from his self-penned obituary: To those whose pain and illness I helped take away; I bid you farewell and adieu today. Donations may be made to the Dr. Arthur Ancowitz Lecture Series at NYU Langone Health. Please contact Heather MacLean at Heather.Maclean @nyulangone.org.