Dr. Milan Radovan Dimitrijevic

Milan “Dr. Dee” Dimitrijevic, MD, PhD, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and pioneer of Restorative Neurology, died peacefully on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at the age of 94.

Milan R. Dimitrijevic, born on January 27, 1931, in Niš, Yugoslavia, was recognized by his peers as a renowned figure in Restorative Neurology and spinal cord injury research. He was a true leader in the neurosciences. His impact reached every continent and has transformed the way we understand spinal cord injuries and even the most basic concepts of motor control. He gave hope to patients who were otherwise told there was none, and he inspired the next generation of physician leaders.

In Milan’s early childhood, he was surrounded by his father’s extensive library of German, French, and English works. He performed superbly at school and went on to study at the University of Ljubljana, where his appreciation of literature, his intellect, his discipline, and leadership quickly earned the admiration of his peers and professors. During this time, Milan discovered his fascination with the human nervous system and how it governs movement and impacts the entire body. He was particularly interested in the implications of neurological injuries. His curiosity drew him to medicine with the goal of helping people with neurological conditions to improve their lives and their ability to move.

Milan pursued his medical degree, his neurology training, and his PhD in neuroscience at the University of Ljubljana School of Medicine. He subsequently completed multiple fellowships, including radiochemistry, neurology, and neurophysiology in Yugoslavia, England, France, and Sweden. During his studies, he met Dr. Marija “Meta” Lavrencic, marking the start of a lifelong partnership. They married in 1959, and she became his most trusted collaborator, playing a pivotal role in his research and in establishing Restorative Neurology as a recognized clinical practice.

In 1959, he established the first laboratory of human neurophysiology in Ljubljana. Soon his work attracted the attention of numerous institutions, including Linkoping University in Sweden, the Queens Square Institute of Neurology in London, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. As a result, he was sponsored to undertake an extended lecture tour of medical schools across the U.S. At the conclusion of this tour, Milan chose to relocate to the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in Houston, Texas, where he founded the Department for Clinical Neurophysiology. Milan served as the Vivian L. Smith Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine, leading the Division of Restorative Neurology and Human Neurobiology. He maintained close working relationships with his colleagues in Ljubljana, where together with Boris Šuštaršic, they founded the Slovenian Dystrophic Society. In 2021, Milan led the establishment of the Academy for the Comprehensive Treatment of People with Muscular and Neuromuscular Diseases.

Throughout his professional life, Milan received numerous awards, including honorary Doctorates. He remained active until his death, collaborating with researchers in Europe and the United States and mentoring numerous physicians and researchers worldwide. He was the principal investigator for the Foundation of Movement Recovery from 2005 until his death. In May 2025, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation.

He will be remembered by his colleagues as a great humanist, physician, scientist, and intellectual pioneer whose life and work touched countless people around the world. He will be deeply missed.

Milan is survived by his daughter Danica Tyler and husband, Jim, and his daughter Maja Dimitrijevic. He is also survived by his grandchildren Billy Tyler and wife, Katherine McFarlin, Michelle and husband, Jared Spicer, and Jadyn Flagg, along with his great-grandchildren Stanley and Calvin. His memorial service will be held at the Chapel of St. John the Divine, Houston Texas, on Saturday, December 6, at 2:00 pm.

“NOTE FOR IMAGE: Wings for Life Conference in Salzburg, Austria, May 2025 © Limex Images/Jörg Mitter”