Edward James Hart

Edward J. Hart, MD (Ed) of Cambridge and Gloucester, Massachusetts entered into peaceful rest on September 24, 2024 at the age of 86.

Ed left a devoted family that he deeply cherished: Anita Wyzanski Robboy, his wife of 24 years (and partner for the previous 16); daughters Melissa Hart Moss (David Moss) of Basking Ridge, NJ, and Emily Hart Reith (Thomas Reith) of Sudbury, MA; grandchildren Andrew Stanley and Chloe Hart Moss, and Arianna Hart, Spencer Kates, and Isabella Asher Reith; step-daughters Elizabeth Robboy Kittrie (Bethesda, MD) and Caroline Robboy (Philadelphia, PA) and step-grandchildren Ari and Gabriela Kittrie and Zachary, Maxwell and Nathaniel Gearhart-Robboy; sister Elinor (Hart) Rogosin of Sarasota, FL and nephews Michael and Daniel. He was preceded in death by his dear parents Abraham and Jean Hart, and treasured cousins Aleksander and Anita Leyfell.

Boston-born, Ed later moved to New Jersey, where he graduated from Maplewood's Columbia High School in 1956 and then embarked on a distinguished academic and medical career. Entering Harvard College at 17, he was a member of Adams House and the Harvard Band, where he was an enthusiastic saxophone player. After graduating Harvard in 1959 and New York University School of Medicine in 1963, he completed a pediatrics internship at Bellevue Hospital in NYC in 1964, followed by a residency at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Then, after two years in pediatrics with the Public Health Service in Brighton Marine Hospital in MA, Ed made a momentous career decision: he switched his specialty to the rising field of pediatric neurology, completing residencies in adult and child neurology at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. He also served as Assistant Professor of Neurology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was Board Certified in pediatric neurology in 1973.

From then on, Ed dedicated his 54-year career to child neurology, compassionately treating thousands of children and their families throughout Massachusetts. He served 19 years at Kennedy Memorial Hospital for Children in Brighton, MA, (later Franciscan Children's Hospital) as Chief of Neurology, while also serving as Clinical Professor with the affiliated BU School of Medicine. Ed simultaneously branched out to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he became an attending physician and Clinical Associate in Neurology for several decades. Twice Ed was awarded Teacher of the Year by MGH's Division of Pediatric Neurology Resident Program. He was also appointed to advisory positions at The National Head Injury Foundation and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, among others. In 1985, Ed switched to North Shore Children's Hospital, affiliated with both Salem Hospital and MGH, where he spent the rest of his deeply satisfying career as a pediatric neurologist, esteemed by both colleagues and appreciative families for his treatment skills and kind and witty bedside manner. He retired in 2018 at age 79.

What Ed called his 15 minutes of fame arose from his observation that a patient was found to have frequent seizures when playing Nintendo video games. To describe this phenomenon of photosensitivity, he coined the term "Nintendo Epilepsy," which led to a media frenzy featuring interviews on Entertainment Tonight and additional attention from nationwide media.

Ed will be remembered for his tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and joy in performing magic tricks for his delighted patients, friends, grandchildren and, often, their classmates. Ed also enjoyed lifelong hobbies of coin collecting, reggae music, and folk dancing, swimming and biking.

Ed will be buried with a private family service at Mt. Auburn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Child Neurology Foundation.