Dec. 16, 2025
A Gift for Generations
Robert and Susan Thompson support neurology at Pitt
TOPICS: Neuro & Cognitive Science | Research
Designs on Aging-Ready
By Emily Nunez, School of Nursing
Robert Thompson’s connection to the University of Pittsburgh runs deep. “In three generations of the Thompson family, we count seven Pitt undergrad alumni, five medical school graduates, two nursing grads and one MBA,” he says. “We don’t have a family crest, but if we did, it would be blue and gold.”
The bond with Pitt is a key reason Thompson and his wife, Susan, gifted $1 million to the Department of Neurology in 2024.
Thompson, a Pitt medical school and resident alumnus, built a distinguished career in general clinical neurology. Throughout his career, he remained guided by the mantra of his mentor, Henry Higman: “Focus on the patient!”
“In medical school I wasn’t sure what specialty to pursue,” Thompson says. “I considered ophthalmology, internal medicine and even spent six months in psychiatry during my internship. I was at a loss with only a few months left before my residency was due to start. I remembered Higman, then the neurology chair, giving several illuminating and entertaining lectures to our class. I approached him about a spot as a first-year resident.”
Thompson says it took a stroke of luck, but he got in and couldn’t have been more pleased with Higman as a mentor.
He also learned from other giants in the field, including John Moossy and Lowell Lubic. “I’m sure I speak for all my fellow trainees when I say they molded us into competent, compassionate and confident clinicians.
“Both the neurology and neurosurgery residents rotated through [Moossy’s] four-month neuropathology course. I don’t think any of us missed a neuropathology question on the written boards after completing his vigorous curriculum.”
Thompson also recalls the excitement in the room when the wonders of modern science took hold: “The miracle of the CAT scan was introduced during my last year, 1976. I still remember Lowell exclaiming when he saw his first CAT scan image, ‘Oh my God, you can see the third ventricle!’”
The Thompsons’ gift will advance the department’s efforts to treat stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, movement disorders and other neurological conditions. Their gift will also help the department recruit top-tier faculty who will shape and enhance its programs, perhaps leading to tomorrow’s miracles of neurology.