Andrew Engel, a pioneer of neuromuscular research and an inspiration and friend to many of our members, has died.

Originally from Budapest in Hungary, Dr Engel moved to the United States of America with his parents in the 1940s. It was in the US that Dr Engel lived and worked throughout his life. After training in neurology at the Mayo Clinic and then in neuropathology at Columbia University, Dr Engel spent the 1960s researching myopathies and identified several novel congenital myopathies. Using the technologies and processes available throughout the rest of the 20^th century, Dr Engel continued to research neuromuscular disorders.

In a career spanning more than half a century, Dr Engel leaves a substantial legacy of knowledge and understanding of neuromuscular disorders. More than 20 years ago, when he was still working at the Mayo Clinic, Dr Engel was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the World Federation of Neurology. He finally retired earlier this year. In April 2015, The Lancet Neurology celebrated 50 years of his work at the Mayo Clinic with this article that describes some of his career achievements and highlights.

Members of the World Muscle Society have been quick to pay tribute to this extraordinary man.

WMS Founder, Victor Dubowitz said: “A sad day to see the passing of an incandescent icon in the Neuromuscular field. Ave atque Vale Andy!”

WMS President, Volker Straub said: “This is a huge loss for the neuromuscular community. Andy was one of the figureheads in our field and it is a privilege for the WMS to honour his achievements.”

Ana Ferreiro said: “The year of my birth, Andrew Engel described for the first time multicore disease, which decades later would be the starting point of my scientific career. He was always extremely generous, kind and welcoming with me, and a source of inspiration through the rigour and excellence of his work.”

Lorenzo Maggi said:  “Very sad news. Prof Engel has been a giant in the field of Myology.”

Gill Butler-Brown said: “So sad. He was so important to so many of us especially in my generation.”

Beril Talim said: “So sad. Such a huge loss for the neuromuscular community.”

Haluk Topaloglu said: “Dr Engel was a pioneer in our field. His contributions are countless.

Shinichi Takeda said: “My heartfelt condolences. We all know of Andrew's contributions to this research field. I feel especially sad for him, because I admired him so much.

Feza Deymeer said: “I am very sorry to hear this sad news. We had a very longstanding collaboration and I liked him a lot. His scientific achievement was incredible and almost unreachable.”

Rosaline Quinlivan said: “Very sorry to hear this news.”

Carmen Navarro said: “This is certainly a very sad news. It is an irreplaceable loss and will leave an important gap for us.”

Jens Reimann said: “A huge loss for every myologist. May he rest in peace.”

Ana Töpf said: “Very sad news”

Duygu Selcen also wrote an obituary for the NMD Journal, a shorter version of which we have reproduced here: 

Prof. Andrew G. Engel (July 12, 1930 – October 20, 2024)

We are saddened to share the news that Dr. Andrew Engel, one of the legends in the field of neuromuscular disease passed away on October 20, 2024.

Dr. Engel was born in Budapest, Hungary, and immigrated to the United States in his teens with his family. He earned the MD degree from McGill University in 1955 with a gold medal for achieving the highest academic standing upon graduation. After an internship at the Philadelphia General Hospital, he began an internal medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic, but his training was interrupted in 1958 when he had to sign up for National Service. He chose the US Public Health Service where he was eventually assigned to the Division of Neurology directed by G. Milton Shy at the National Institutes of Health. During this period, he decided to become a neurologist. In 1960 he returned to the Mayo Clinic to complete his training in Internal Medicine and Neurology. From 1962 to 1965 he was a postdoctoral fellow in Neuropathology at Columbia University in New York. In 1965, Dr. Engel was appointed to the Staff of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN.

Dr. Engel is an internationally renowned neuromuscular clinician, educator, and researcher whose impact on the field truly cannot be overstated. He has been a beacon of excellence in the field of neuromuscular diseases, cherished by patients as an astute and caring clinician, nurturing numerous fellows as a dedicated mentor and teacher, and sharing his expertise in muscle pathology, biochemistry, electrophysiology, and molecular genetics. Dr. Engel discovered many novel neuromuscular diseases and unraveled the pathogenesis of many others and his contributions to the field over many decades have been extraordinary.

Dr. Engel has written more than 350 peer-reviewed papers, numerous reviews, and has edited and been a key contributor to three editions of Myology, the most highly regarded text in the field. He has made numerous impactful contributions to neuroscience. Dr. Engel’s remarkable accomplishments in the field have been recognized with a multitude of awards and accolades, including Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award twice, the Duchenne-Erb-Prize of the German Muscular Dystrophy Group, the Jerry Lewis Research Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Carrell-Krusen award from the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, the Bernard Sachs Award of Child Neurology Society, the Gaetano Conte Prize of Mediterranean Society of Myology, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Neuromuscular Diseases by the World Federation of Neurology. In 1994, he presented the prestigious Wartenberg lecture at the American Academy of Neurology and in the same year the Mayo Clinic honored him with the Distinguished Investigator Award. He has been awarded honorary membership in the AAN, ANA, and the European, German and Spanish Societies of Neurology. In 2003, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science.

We are privileged to have learned and worked alongside such an amazing colleague. We will miss him greatly. Andy’s legacy will live on through his colleagues, collaborators, and countless former mentees here at Mayo Clinic and throughout the world.

Andy rest in peace.

If you would like to have your condolences added to this article, please email them to communications@worldmusclesociety.org.