Galen Vincent Henderson, MD

BOSTON - BOSTON - Galen V. Henderson, MD, FNCS, 56, passed away on December 26, surrounded by his loving family following a recent illness. A resident of Taunton, MA, Dr. Henderson was the beloved husband of Vanessa M Britto, MD, MSc, FACP. Dr. Henderson was born in Memphis, TN, and raised in Tunica MS. He is survived by his mother Peggie A. (Bonds) Henderson of Tunica, MS, his sister, Erika Winfrey (Harold) of Memphis TN and many loving relatives and friends in MA, MS, RI throughout the country as well as internationally. He is predeceased by his father, G.W. Henderson, Jr.

Dr. Henderson attended high school in MS where he excelled academically going on to pursue a BS (cum laude) in chemistry from Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS, and his MD from Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, RI. Meeting at Brown University Dr. Henderson and Dr. Britto married during Brown's Commencement weekend. For decades that followed they took great pride in the festivity of Brown's Commencement Weekend, always marking their wedding anniversary.

Dr. Henderson had a tremendous and lasting positive impact on every institution and community he was involved in, including Brown University, Tougaloo College, and Brigham and Women's Hospital where he served as Director of Neurocritical Care in the Department of Neurology and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (CDIO). Dr. Henderson was universally known for his warm smile, thoughtful and insightful assessment of challenging and thorny issues, as well as his steadfast commitment to the well-being of his patients, his colleagues, students of Brown University's Alpert Medical School and everyone he met. His legacy will continue to make the world a better place for generations through the patients and families he treated and the students and colleagues he taught and mentored.

Dr. Henderson completed his residency in the Harvard-Longwood Neurology Training Program and a fellowship in Neurocritical Care at the Brigham. He subsequently joined the Brigham's Neurology Department, where he became the director of Neurocritical Care in 2001. He was the country's first African-American neurology-based neurointensivist and the first African-American Fellow to be inducted into the nation's Neurocritical Care Society (FNCS). During his tenure as Director of the Neurological Intensive Care Unit, the neurocritical care service grew from five to twenty beds and is now one of the busiest ICUs at the Brigham.

Dr. Henderson was the recipient of many academic, service, and community awards, including induction into his Mississippi hometown Tunica Hall of Fame. Dr. Henderson was a thoughtful and collaborative leader and gifted physician who leaves an indelible mark on the Brigham community, the countless patients and families he cared for, and the thousands of faculty, trainees and students whom he served as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer the Brigham's Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI). Enormously dedicated to elevating opportunities for those who are underrepresented in science and medicine, Dr. Henderson was resolute in his commitment to making the Brigham a place where everyone felt like they belonged and could thrive. In his time as CDIO, he helped usher in the most diverse incoming classes of residents in the hospital's history.

In addition to his work at the Brigham, Dr. Henderson was the founding deputy editor of Journal Watch Neurology, editor of Reprints in Stroke and the associate medical director of two federally designated organ procurement organizations. He received awards from three different secretaries of Health and Human Services for his contributions to the development of the Organ Donation National Collaborative. An assistant professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, where his research focused on clinical trials regarding treatments for stroke and cerebral hemorrhage, Dr. Henderson lectured extensively at the Neurocritical Care Society, the American Academy of Neurology, throughout the country and internationally.

At Brown, Galen served two terms as a Trustee on the Corporation. He was also the president of the 100,000 member Brown Alumni Association and president of the Brown Medical Alumni Association, a member of the Brown Medicine Magazine Editorial Board, and a member of the Advisory Council on Biology and Medicine and the Advisory Council on Relations with Tougaloo. In 2014, he received the Brown Bear Award from Brown University, the highest honor given for distinguished service and leadership.

Funeral services for Dr. Henderson will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at the Wickenden Chapel at Tabor Academy, 86 Spring Street, Marion, MA at 1:00 p.m. Masks will be available, and for those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Galen V. Henderson MD'93 and Vanessa M. Britto MD MMSc'96 Medical Scholarship to support underrepresented minority medical students at Brown University by using the following link: https://go.brown.edu/GalenHendersonMemorialGifts

Arrangements by Chapman Funerals & Cremations - Wareham. For directions, livestreaming information, or to leave a message of condolence visit: www.chapmanfuneral.com