Susan H. Pierson

EAST SANDWICH — Susan died on July 15, 2008, at Cape Cod Hospital, after a long battle with a brain tumor.

Susan is survived by her husband, David Cutler and her children, Helen and Calvin; her parents, Marshall and Mary Helen; her siblings, Marshall (Julia), Jack (Jan), David (Karen), Mary (Bill), Michael (Ginny), Anne and Robert (Val); and her many nieces and nephews.

Susan graduated from Our Lady of the Elms in Akron, Ohio, in 1972. Susan received her degree in Physical Therapy from The Ohio State University. She worked as a physical therapist at the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital in Boston. After graduating from Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine in 1986, Susan served an internship in internal medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital of the Harvard Medical School; a residency in neurology at Boston University Medical Center; and a fellowship in neurologic rehabilitation at Braintree Hospital in Braintree.

Susan was a staff neurologist at the Brigham and Women's Northeast Regional Multiple Sclerosis Center and directed the Multiple Sclerosis Program at the Braintree Rehabilitation. She served as the medical director at Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren, Ohio, and the director of Neurorehabilitation at Heather Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Chardon, Ohio. At Drake Hospital in Cincinnati, Susan served as a staff neurologist, vice president of the Drake Center Corp., and as clinical director for The University of Cincinnati Waddell Center for Multiple Sclerosis. Her most recent position was director of the Stroke Program for Cape Cod Health Care in Hyannis.

She was a member of the spasticity study group for Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement Disorders (WEMOVE), and a reviewer for Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Pierson has been published in numerous chapters and articles on the treatment of spasticity with botulinum toxin, neurological rehabilitation following stroke or multiple sclerosis, and nursing and physical therapy interventions for spasticity.

She was a member of the American Academy of Neurology and past chair of the Practice Committee, Neurorehabilitation section, for that organization. Her other professional memberships include the American Society of Neurorehabilitation, the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Neurobehavioral Neurology Association, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the MS Section of the American Academy of Neurology.

For almost two years, in the midst of rigorous medical procedures and treatment, Susan continued to see patients; counsel colleagues and students; perform research; and give lectures and talks. Better than anyone, Susan knew the eventual outcome of her illness, yet she never focused on the inevitable conclusion.

On behalf of Susan, special thanks are extended to the nurses and physicians in the Emergency Department and 3 North, who provided great care and compassion during her final week at Cape Cod Hospital.

The memorial service for family, friends and colleagues is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Sandwich. There will be a reception following the service at the Bistro.

In lieu of flowers, Susan has encouraged donations to a charity of one's choice.