Robert Alan Davidoff

1934 - 2019

Obit for Robert Alan Davidoff, M.D. Robert Alan Davidoff, M.D., 84, died peacefully at home on July 31st three weeks after being diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer. He is survived by Judith (his wife of 52 years), daughter Sarah (David Goodman), son Arieh (Carla Basse-Davidoff), and grandsons Jacob Goodman and Benjamin Basse-Davidoff. Born in Brooklyn, NY on October 5, 1934 to Florence and Louis Davidoff, he attended Erasmus Hall High School, received a B.S. from NYU, and an M.D. from NYU Medical School. He completed a Residency in Neurology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC. As a Navy Lieutenant during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dr. Davidoff's job was to keep the crew and scientists of a "research vessel" (aka spy ship) healthy so that the vessel would never have to put into port as it sailed the waters around Cuba. The Navy then sent him to Research Unit in San Diego where he discovered his passion for basic research. He took a Fellowship in in neurophysiology at the Indiana University Medical School and then began his career as a medical school professor. Bob taught Medical Students and Residents and did basic research at the University of Miami School of Medicine for 33 years, retiring in 2002 as Professor Emeritus of Neurology, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Chief of Neurology at the Miami VA Medical Center, Vice-Chairman of the Neurology Department, and Head of a spinal cord neuropharmacology laboratory. He also ran the Neurology Department's Headache clinic. He wrote the definitive monograph on migraine (2nd edition, Oxford Univ. Press, 2002) and numerous books and research papers. One NIH grant reviewer dubbed him "the world's expert on the frog spinal cord. His students called him "Doctor Brain. After a lifetime spent studying how the brain and nervous system work, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer's Association www.alz.org Funeral services will be Friday, August 2nd at 12:30 p.m. at Mt. Nebo Kendall Chapel 5900 SW 77th Ave, Miami, FL 33143 followed by interment