AANEM Past President and neurology pioneer Jasper Daube, MD, passed away on Saturday, April 18, 2020, in Rochester, MN, at the age of 84.
Dr. Daube was a very active AANEM member. He served on the Board as Secretary/Treasurer from 1979-1981, became President in 1983, and participated on the AANEM Board from 1974-1985. He was also the AANEM’s American Medical Association (AMA) Delegate from 1993-1999. He served on many AANEM committees and as an ABEM oral examiner.
Being an educator was an important part of Dr. Daube’s legacy. He spoke often at the AANEM meetings. Former meeting planner, Kathy Smith, fondly remembers that she “always knew that if Jasper was speaking, she needed to make sure it was in a big room with lots of chairs. Everyone wanted to hear him speak.” His dedication to the association and the field of electrodiagnostic medicine earned him the AANEM Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
Dr. Daube completed his neurology residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and did 6 months of post-residency training in basic neurophysiology in the laboratory of Clinton Woolsey, MD. After residency, he spent 3 years in military service stationed in Japan working as a neurologist. While there, he met his wife, Cynthia, who was an Army nurse in the intensive care unit. He completed a 2-year special NINDS fellowship in clinical neurophysiology from 1969 to 1971 with Edward Lambert, MD — one of the leaders in the field of EMG and other physiological studies — at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Dr. Daube worked at Mayo Clinic throughout his career and trained countless future EDX physicians. In an interview for the AANEM newsletter, he said “we must learn to work together... We must broaden ourselves and link to other people, other specialties, and to allied health professionals. The pressures of health care reform make such endeavors doubly important. We should be working for the good of the patient rather than fighting over who does what.” These sentiments are as true today as they were when he said them almost 20 years ago.
“I was sad to hear about Jasper. I worked with him in many capacities during my time at AANEM. He told me a few years ago how proud he was of how the organization has grown over the years. I hope we continue to make him proud,” reflected AANEM Executive Director, Shirlyn A. Adkins, JD.
To see a video Dr. Daube made reflecting on his presidency,
click on this link.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a celebration of his life will be held later this year. An obituary will be published in an upcoming edition of
Muscle & Nerve.
If you wish to make a donation in his memory to the
American Neuromuscular Foundation, visit this link. The funds collected will be used in some way to honor Dr. Daube. A decision regarding the best way to honor him will be discussed at a later date by the Board and his family.